e 664 

Copy I 



rty-Sixth Congress, Third Session 



Senate Document No. 425 



THOMAS STAPLES MARTIN 

( Late a Senator from Virginia ) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE SENATE 
AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS 



Proceedings in the Senate 
April 10, 1920 



Proceedings in the House 
February 13, 192 1 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1922 



.wv^ u 



u«i mm MBH 



:ary of congress 
FEB1 51922 

SICW 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 
Proceedings in the Senate 5 

Prayer by Rev. Richard H. Bennett, D. D., of Lynch- 
burg, Va 9 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Claude A. Swanson, of Virginia 11 

29 
32 
34 
37 



Mr. Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts 

Mr. John Walter Smith, of Maryland 

Mr. Francis E. Warren, of Wyoming 

Mr. Gilbert M. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 

Mr. Knute Nelson, of Minnesota 40 

Mr. Furnifold M. Simmons, of North Carolina 46 

Mr. Wesley L. Jones, of Washington 50 

Mr. Atlee Pomerene, of Ohio 53 

Mr. Carter Glass, of Virginia 56 

Proceedings in the House 63 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 65, 66 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Henry D. Flood, of Virginia 69 

Mr. Champ Clark, of Missouri 74 

Mr. Edward E. Holland, of Virginia 75 

Mr. Joseph W. Byrns, of Tennessee 78 

Mr. R. Walton Moore, of Virginia . 81 

Mr. James W. Collier, of Mississippi 86 

Mr. Schuyler Otis Bland, of Virginia 91 

Mr. James P. Woods, of Virginia 94 

Mr. Patrick H. Drewry, of Virginia 98 

Mr. Thomas W. Harrison, of Virginia 102 

Mr. Frederick H. Gillett, of Massachusetts 105 



[3: 



DEATH OF HON. THOMAS STAPLES MARTIN 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 

Wednesday, November 12, 1919. 

Mr. Swanson. Mr. President, it is with profound sorrow 
and regret that I announce the death of my colleague, 
Senator Thomas S. Martin, of Virginia. He died at 1.30 
o'clock to-day at Charlottesville, Va. He met death with 
that calm composure and courage with which he faced 
all the problems that presented themselves to him in life. 

In his death a strong, sturdy character of heroic pro- 
portions disappears from public life. For more than 
24 years he served as one of the most influential and 
potential Members of this body. Few Senators possessed 
in so high a degree the esteem, affectionate friendship, 
and good will that Senator Martin possessed, irrespective 
of political divisions. All appreciated his courteous con- 
sideration, his manly character, his kindly heart and 
feelings. 

As majority leader and as chairman of the Appropri- 
ations Committee during the late war he assumed bur- 
dens and responsibilities that far exceeded his strength. 
Despite repeated warnings of his physician, despite the 
urgent suggestions of friends, he remained at his post 
of duty in the perilous and troublous times, and his death 
was a sacrifice on the altar of public service and public 
duty. 

In his death the Senate loses one of its most influential, 
esteemed, and worthy Senators, the country one of its 
wisest and most sagacious legislators, and Virginia her 

[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

most distinguished citizen, her most highly esteemed son, 
and her most beloved Senator. At a more appropriate 
time I shall ask the Senate to set aside a day to pay 
tribute to his achievements and record as a Senator and 
to his worth as a man. 

Mr. Lodge. Mr. President, I have been in the Senate with 
Senator Martin for nearly a quarter of a century. This 
is not the time, for it will come later, to speak of his long 
and distinguished service as it deserves. He was a high- 
minded, honorable man, who devoted all his strength, 
all his abilities, I may say all his life, to his public duties, 
for he wore himself out in the service. At this moment 
I can only think of the personal loss which comes to me 
in the death of an old friend whom I so much valued, 
and I am sure that feeling is shared by everyone who 
had the honor and satisfaction of serving with Senator 
Martin in the Senate. 

Mr. Swanson. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
which I send to the desk and ask for their adoption. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 229) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of the Hon. Thomas Staples Martin, for more than 24 
years a Senator from the State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That a committee of 18 Senators be appointed by the 
President pro tempore to take order for superintending the funeral 
of Mr. Martin, to be held in Charlottesville, Va. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives. 

The President pro tempore appointed as the committee 
under the second resolution Mr. Swanson, Mr. Lodge, Mr. 
Cummins, Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Knox, Mr. 
Fletcher, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Overman, Mr. Bankhead, Mr. 
Robinson, Mr. Smith of Arizona, Mr. Smith of Maryland, 

[6] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Mr. Underwood, Mr. Walsh of Montana, Mr. Warren, Mr. 
Smoot, and Mr. Williams. 

Mr. Swanson. Mr. President, as a further mark of re- 
spect to the memory of my deceased colleague, I move 
that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 
o'clock p. m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, 
Thursday, November 13, 1919, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

Thursday, November 13, 1919. 
The Chaplain, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman, D. D., offered 
the following prayer : 

Almighty God, we gather together this morning with a 
sense of a great loss in the death of one of the Members of 
the Senate. Ripened by experience and age, he has given 
his wise counsel and leadership to his country, and 
through qualities of heart and spirit he has attracted all 
men, unifying our efforts and leading in constructive 
paths for the establishment of the great ideals of our 
national life. With reverence for the God of his fathers 
and with a high sense of the dignity and glory of human 
life, he has given himself to God and to humanity. 

We thank Thee that he was a man of prayer, a man of 
conscience, a man of human friendship. We pray that 
his influence may abide with and guide us who follow in 
the discharge of the great duties of this day, that we may 
measure to the expectation of God and to the hope of the 
world. For Christ's sake. Amen. 

Mr. Swanson. Mr. President, my deceased colleague, the 
late Senator Martin, of Virginia, will be buried at Char- 
lottesville, Va., to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock. In 
addition to the 18 Senators who have been appointed to 
attend the funeral, a great many Senators have expressed a 

[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

desire also to attend. The special train for Charlottesville 
will leave here at 11 o'clock to-night and return about 9 
o'clock to-morrow night. I have consulted with the leader 
of the majority of this body and with other Senators, and, 
in order to pay tribute to the memory of my late colleague, 
I ask unanimous consent, so that Senators who desire may 
attend the funeral — and an invitation is extended to all to 
do so — that when the Senate takes a recess to-day it shall 
take a recess to meet at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning. 

The President pro tempore. Is there objection to the re- 
quest of the Senator from Virginia? The Chair hears 
none, and it is so ordered. 

Mr. Brandegee. In accordance with the understanding 
heretofore entered into, I move that the Senate now take 
a recess until Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. 

The motion was agreed to; and (at 7 o'clock and 5 
minutes p. m.) the Senate, as in open executive session, 
took a recess until Saturday, November 15, 1919, at 10 
o'clock a. m. 



Tuesday, December 2, 1919. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays before the Senate 
the following letter from Miss Lucy Day Martin, which 
will be read. 

The Secretary read as follows : 

University, Va. 
Hon. Thomas R. Marshall, 

United States Senate, Washington, D. C. 
Dear Mr. President: I wish personally to express to you and 
the Members of the Senate the deep gratitude of the family of the 
late Senator Martin for your recent very profound manifestation 
of affection and esteem for my father. 

We shall ever hold this tribute and the expression of sympathy 
for the family in most grateful remembrance. 
Very sincerely, yours, 

Lucy Day Martin. 
[8] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Thursday, March 25, 1920. 

Mr. Svvanson. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Senate designate Saturday, April 10, for the de- 
livery of eulogies upon my late colleague, Senator Thomas 
S. Martin, of Virginia. 

The Presiding Officer. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. 

Saturday, April 10, 1920. 
Rev. Richard H. Bennett, D. D., of Lynchburg, Va., 
offered the following prayer : 

Gracious Father, source of all wisdom and God of all 
power, we acknowledge Thy sovereignty and pray for Thy 
guidance. Thou hast graciously led us and blest us be- 
yond our deserts. In our feebleness compared with Thy 
great strength, in our ignorance compared with Thy wis- 
dom, children all in Thy sight, we ask Thy continued 
guidance and blessing. 

We thank Thee for the gracious record of our Nation, 
and for the possibilities of the future that brighten and 
glorify the days to come. We pray Thee that the respon- 
sibilities of the present may be adequately met and that 
Thy guidance may be sought and obtained by all our 
citizenship high and low. 

We pray Thy blessing upon Thy servant, the Presidenl 
of the United States, that he may be restored to complete 
health and strength, and that all Thy people in every office 
may be guided by Thee. We pray Thy blessing upon 
each of us that we may be delivered from the mistakes 
that belong to human nature and that we may seek Thy 
holy will in all our doings. 

We thank Thee for the gracious life that the Senate 
commemorates to-day and for the useful career of our 



[9] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

departed friend and father. We pray Thee that the les- 
sons of his life may be handed down, that we may profit 
thereby, and that the enrichment may come to us from 
the virtues that adorned his character. 

We pray Thy blessing upon every Member of the 
Senate and upon the homes represented here, that Thy 
gracious protection and care may be given unto each and 
every one, that those in sickness may be delivered and 
strengthened, and that when life shall close with each of 
us we may look back upon days spent in accordance with 
Thy plans, to a life used as Thou hast given us wisdom to 
see it, and enter through the gates into that eternal city 
where Thy children shall gather when the battle fields of 
life are over and we come to the day of rest. 

Grant these things in the name of Our Saviour. Amen. 

Mr. Swanson. Mr. President, I ask for the adoption of 
the resolutions which I send to the desk. 

The President pro tempore. The resolutions will be 
read. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 347) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as fol- 
lows: 

Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow in the 
death of the Hon. Thomas Staples Martin, late a Senator from the 
State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
ceased the Senate, pursuant to its order heretofore made, assembles 
to enable his associates to pay proper tribute to his high character 
and distinguished public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit a copy 
thereof to the family of the deceased. 



[10] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

Mr. President: We have convened to-day to pay ap- 
propriate tribute to the life, character, and achieve- 
ments of our former colleague, Senator Thomas S. Mar- 
tin, of Virginia. Having been intimately associated with 
him for more than 30 years, I appreciate how inade- 
quate are my powers of speech to give expression to 
the profound esteem, friendship, and admiration I enter- 
tained for him or properly to portray his manly worth 
and great nobility of character. Under the shadows of a 
deep personal loss and sorrow in his death, silence, if 
permissible to me, would have been far preferable to 
speech. I am fully sensible that in his death I have lost 
my best, dearest, and most intimate friend. 

Mr. President, Senator Martin was possessed of such 
high qualities of mind and character that he would have 
attained distinction in any line of human endeavor to 
which he had chosen to direct his energies. He thought 
directly, clearly. His mind was never encumbered with 
subtle distinctions nor beclouded by vague and far-distant 
deductions. He looked at things with a clear, unblinking 
vision — almost prophetic. No sophistry, no alluring elo- 
quence could hold captive his strong, sturdy sense or 
induce him to depart from the tried pathway of pru- 
dence and good judgment into the unknown regions of 
uncertain adventure or experiment. This rugged granite 
strength made him a pillar of salvation in hours of doubt, 
panic, and stress. The more others became disturbed or 
excited the greater was his composure, his thoughtful 

[11] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 



consideration. This quality inspired confidence and in- 
sured his leadership. No great commander on a field 
of battle could exhibit at critical times greater calmness, 
skill, and resourcefulness than he displayed in the many 
fierce conflicts which marked his long political life. 

Senator Martin was not a plausible man, but he was a 
deeply wise one. Plausibility scintillates and shines upon 
the surface, but does not penetrate an inch beneath. 
Wisdom without glitter or glare goes to the deepest depths 
and sees the very foundation of things. He was wisdom 
personified. His rare good judgment, his prudent dis- 
cretion, were so marked and well known that his advice 
was sought far and wide by those engaged in varied 
avocations. He was the wisest counselor I ever knew. 
Politicians, lawyers, large business men, governors, Sena- 
tors, Cabinet members, and Presidents sought with con- 
fidence his advice and conclusions upon delicate and dif- 
ficult matters. The public little knows the many acts of 
beneficial legislation, the wise solution of many difficult 
public questions that were due to his unerring judgment 
and forcible insistence. His opinion was expressed with 
the utmost frankness — sometimes it was almost brutal in 
its manly candor and courage. Equivocation and dis- 
simulation were foreign to his mind and were scorned in 
all his expressions. He loathed a lie. His opinions were 
fixed and positive and given regardless of those enter- 
tained by others. By nature it was impossible for him to 
be a timeserver or incense burner to those in high official 
position. His intellectual integrity, his candor of expres- 
sion, he scorned to surrender to anyone. I have fre- 
quently witnessed exhibitions of this high quality which 
strikingly displayed his innate greatness and courage. 
One always obtained from Senator Martin the plain, un- 
varnished truth as he saw it. He was direct, positive, and 



[12] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 



candid in all dealings with his constituents. He abomi- 
nated the petty, ingratiating arts of the demagogue 
and achieved his great political successes by masculine 
strength and courage. 

The people of Virginia passionately admired him as a 
rugged oak where they could seek refuge and shelter in 
hours of storm and stress. In his long service in the 
Senate he never shirked a roll call nor dodged an issue. 
His conclusions were reached after the most thoughtful 
and careful consideration and when made were fearlessly 
expressed and firmly adhered to regardless of all personal 
and political consequences. He scorned by explanation 
or evasion to avoid full responsibility for any position 
ever assumed by him on public questions. He never acted 
hastily, and hence never apologized for his well-formed 
and firm convictions. These he could always successfully 
defend with the most cogent and convincing reasons. 

Mr. President, Senator Martin was without exception 
the most indefatigable worker I ever knew. He was a 
marvel of industry and energy. He had no recreation 
except such as was obtained from varied but incessant 
work. Possessed of a splendid constitution, always work- 
ing orderly and intelligently, the amount of work he could 
efficiently dispose of was prodigious. So great was his 
capacity for work that he could attend to the smallest 
wishes of his constituency and still find ample time to 
study and dispose of the large public questions which his 
important position placed under his direction. He had a 
genius for detail. He completely mastered all measures 
which were under his control in the Senate. His knowl- 
edge of them was excelled by none. The ease and facility 
with which he passed so many important measures 
through the Senate were largely due to the fact that the 
Senate had full confidence in his judgment and integrity, 



[13] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

and knew he was fully informed upon all the details and 
phases of the legislation he proposed. It was wonderful 
the great mass of detail his memory was able to retain. 

Mr. President, combined with these admirable, sterling 
qualities was a heart as loyal to every demand of friend- 
ship as ever pulsated in human breast. It can be said with 
equal truth of him, as was said of Old Hickory, President 
Jackson, " he never failed a friend, he never forgot a 
favor." No considerations of personal comfort, no appre- 
hension of personal detriment, no promptings of personal 
profit could ever induce him to fail a friend or refuse any 
demand that friendship had a right to claim. This quality 
was almost a passion with him. How frequently in the 
political strife of our State have I seen him unhesitatingly 
and firmly take his stand for loyal friends against excited 
clamor and when he knew success was not possible. 
These considerations did not slightly influence him; his 
loyal heart resolutely determined, despite all personal 
consequences, fully to meet friendship's demands. This 
marked characteristic gave him a personal and devoted 
following equaled by none in our State. Men became at- 
tached to him with hooks of iron and steel, which nothing 
could sever. This firm and enthusiastic following gave 
him a permanency in politics which can never be attained 
by those who simply strive to sail with popular breezes. 
No man when convinced of the rectitude of his conduct 
could more resolutely face a storm. Another quality 
which he possessed almost to heroic proportions was the 
composure with which he could meet unavoidable mis- 
fortunes. He bore his own worries and troubles without 
burdening others. His life was composed of sparkling 
sunshine and darkened shadows, each of which he passed 
through with calm courage. He knew his last illness 
would be fatal, yet he neither quailed nor quivered when 
brought face to face with death. 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 



In his last hours he forcibly reminded me of the noblest 
of Roman senators, calmly gathering Ms robes around him 
and fearlessly meeting inevitable death, which awaits us 
all. He entertained no apprehensions of the great future 
beyond. 

Mr. President, Senator Martin possessed in a preemi- 
nent degree those domestic virtues and that honorable 
moral character which are so highly cherished in Virginia 
and which she scrupulously requires of her public men. 
He was pure in mind, in thought, and in conduct. No 
stain ever followed his footsteps. No suggestion of scan- 
dal, public or private, ever besmirched his fair name. He 
was the soul of generosity and liberal honorable dealing. 
Like Virginians, the ties of blood and relationship were 
strong and enduring. His personal life was one of service 
and sacrifice for others. From early boyhood, when the 
loss of his father left him the head and main support of a 
large family, to his death he toiled and thought more for 
the comfort of those near and dear to him than for himself. 
His deep devotion, his constant care of and attention to 
his aged mother, form beautiful chapters in the story of 
his magnificent life. He was a most affectionate and re- 
sponsive brother, a most considerate, devoted, and un- 
selfish father. He was a husband of rare excellence, pos- 
sessed of an absorbing love and ever happy in bestowing 
sweet loving attentions. Those of us who knew him inti- 
mately realized that several years ago the large part of 
his happiness and most of the sunshine of his life was 
buried in the grave with his beautiful, brilliant, and charm- 
ing wife. This man of iron strength and resolution gave 
new graces to social life, brought new charms to domestic 
felicity. 

Mr. President, Senator Martin's success was founded 
more on solid than shining qualities and was builded 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 



securely on the strong foundation of substantial moral 
character and thorough reliability. These virtues are 
indispensable to permanent success in public life. 

No brilliance of genius, no witchery of oratory, no fasci- 
nations of personality can supply the deficiency. The 
possessing of these sterling virtues in a preeminent degree 
by Andrew Jackson enabled him to repeatedly defeat the 
genius of Webster and Clay combined. How strikingly is 
this truth illustrated in the life of Mirabeau, the great 
Frenchman. Miraubeau was a marvelous character, en- 
dowed with tireless energy, a resolute courageous heart, a 
fervid patriotism, a surpassing eloquence. He possessed 
every virtue but moral character. On account of this de- 
fect he was never able to obtain the complete confidence 
of the French people so as to be able to control and direct 
their destiny. In the hours of his greatest power he never 
had influence sufficient to stabilize the great reforms he 
advocated and to place France safely in the pathway of 
sane betterment. Thus poor France had to endure all 
the terrors of the Revolution, suffer all the vicissitudes of 
Napoleon, because her greatest man, the one capable and 
desirous of saving her, was powerless to do so for lack of 
strong moral character sufficient to inspire the complete 
trust of the French people, which was indispensable for 
the accomplishment of the Herculean task. One of the 
crying needs of the world to-day is more statesmanship 
founded in rugged moral character, capable of squarely 
meeting the difficult problems confronting us and dealing 
with them with firm hand and resolute will. We need to- 
day brave, unflinching Catos, fearlessly facing troubles, 
more than eloquent Ciceros, glozing over evils and lulling 
us with pleasing platitudes and alluring prophecies. The 
world seems to acquire each year more exquisite flowers, 
but possesses less rugged oaks for refuge in hours of storm 
and stress. Many of our public men are like our modern 

[16] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 



clothes, very beautiful in the gaudy colors of their new 
freshness, but not able to stand the wear and tear of con- 
tinual use and soon become faded and threadbare. 

But, Mr. President, this was not true of Senator Martin. 
On account of the fierce political contests he was continu- 
ously engaged in, no man ever lived more completely 
than he in the pitiless light of publicity. Enmity and 
jealously engaged in every exaggeration of criticism and 
faultfinding, yet during his long public service each reced- 
ing year brought him increased confidence, enlarged in- 
fluence, and greater popularity. Five successive times did 
the people of Virginia emphasize their trust and affection 
for him by commissioning him to represent them in this 
august assembly, the highest honor at their disposal. The 
last time he had no opposition in the Democratic primary, 
none in the general election. He was the unanimous 
choice of the Virginia people. His manly worth, his genu- 
ine merit, his sturdy character, his valuable and patriotic 
service had so deeply impressed the people of Virginia 
that with one accord they demanded he should represent 
them in these troublous and perilous times. Virginia has 
bestowed upon Senator Martin honors which she has con- 
ferred upon but few of her public men. These honors so 
generously given by a State made illustrious by so many 
distinguished sons, coming from a people possessed of 
lofty ideals and traditions inherited from a glorious past, 
should fill to full measurement any man's pride and 
ambition. 

Mr. President, a distinguished writer has well observed 
that the life of every man is as the wellspring of a stream, 
whose small beginning is indeed plain to all, but whose 
ultimate course and destination as it winds through the 
expanse of years only the Omniscient can discern. Is it to 
be a nameless brook and will its tiny waters commingling 
with such others only increase the current of some famed 

46666—22 2 [17] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

river? Or is it to receive such rills as a sovereign and be- 
come a large, magnificent river serving and fertilizing 
large districts, known far and wide? How forcibly is this 
exemplified in the life of our departed colleague. 

Who could have foretold, watching his early beginning, 
without wealth, unassisted by influential friends, that the 
day was not far distant when, with only the assistance of 
his strong arm and resolute will, he would become the 
most distinguished citizen of the great Commonwealth of 
Virginia and one of the most influential statesmen of this 
Nation ? The tiny stream born amid the hills of Albemarle 
has increased and enlarged its current of life until it be- 
came a large, famed river, bearing on its bosom rich 
treasures for his State and Nation. His large, full life 
presents an inspiring story of continuous effort and honest 
endeavor. We first behold him as a boy matriculated at 
the Virginia Military Institute during the latter years of 
the Civil War. He insisted upon volunteering for service 
in the Confederate Army, but being a mere boy and too 
young for enlistment, his father compromised the matter 
by permitting him to attend this famous military institute 
in order to prepare him for future military service. Dur- 
ing his attendance here he was most studious, stood high 
in his classes, and was most observant of the rules of strict 
discipline required. He was loved and esteemed by his 
classmates and acquired a leadership in college far be- 
yond what could be expected in one so young. The friend- 
ships here formed continued through life, and his boy- 
hood associates during his long political life were ever his 
most devoted and determined supporters. The faculty of 
forming firm ties of friendship and esteem were as 
marked in his boyhood as in his later days. When the 
military pressure upon the Confederacy during the last 
years of the war became overwhelming the corps of cadets 
at the Virginia Military Institute were ordered to join the 

[18] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

Confederate Army and participate in the defense of 
Richmond. 

Thus, at the age of 16, Senator Martin became a Con- 
federate soldier and served as such until the collapse of 
the Confederacy. As a mere boy he cheerfully endured 
without murmur or complaint all the severe privations, 
hardships, and dangers incident to the last year of this 
great war. Language is powerless to describe the intense 
suffering to which the Confederate soldier was subjected 
during the concluding months of this war. Only those 
who passed through the terrible experience can form any 
conception of the awful destitution in food and clothing. 
An army surrendered because the government it served 
had become powerless to arm, feed, and clothe it. Senator 
Martin served with the Confederate Army around Rich- 
mond during the time immediately preceding and follow- 
ing the evacuation of the city and the final collapse of the 
Confederacy by the surrender of Gen. Lee. When the end 
finally came and the Confederate Army was practically 
disbanded and each soldier driven to the necessity of pro- 
viding for himself, the means employed by this mere boy, 
amid the general confusions and enveloping dangers to 
escape capture and to reach his home, form a remarkable 
record of adventure, daring, and resourcefulness. It 
evinced that a short army experience had transformed a 
boy into a capable and courageous man. He was a fine 
type of the Confederate youth, returning manfully and 
hopefully to rebuild a prostrate country and to bind up 
the bleeding wounds produced by a protracted war and to 
readjust a social and political system which misfortune 
had overthrown. The rebuilding and development of the 
South from the ruins of the Civil War is the most marvel- 
ous story in the history of mankind and furnishes an 
enduring monument to the ability and patriotism of the 
returned Confederate soldier. 

[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

Those soldiers, like Senator Martin, made brave from 
burdens borne and overcome, made patient by sacrifice 
and long suffering, cherishing to a passion the love of 
State and section for which they had ventured all, fear- 
lessly faced an adverse future and directed all the energies 
of heart, mind, and body to restore to their beloved South 
its former prosperity, greatness, and power. The wonder- 
ful work achieved bears everlasting testimony to the in- 
dustry and genius of the architects. The world never 
possessed a more self-reliant and resolute class of men 
than those that directed the destiny of the South imme- 
diately following the Civil War. 

Mr. President, returning home, Senator Martin devoted 
all his energies to the completion of his education and 
proper equipment for the practice of law as a profession. 
He attended the University of Virginia, was noted for his 
studious habits and strong, lucid mind. Being thoroughly 
prepared for the practice of law, he was admitted to the 
bar and located at Scottsville, in Albemarle County, a 
small town, where he was born and had resided. By in- 
dustry, strict attention to business, honesty, and frankness 
in dealing with clients, and his great ability as a lawyer 
and advocate, he soon acquired a large and lucrative prac- 
tice in Albemarle and all the surrounding counties. There 
were few important cases in his section of the State in 
which his services were not engaged. He regularly at- 
tended the county and circuit courts of more than half a 
dozen adjacent counties. There is no greater school in the 
world for the development of clear, logical reasoning, 
cogent and forcible expression, ready resourcefulness, and 
efficient management of men than that furnished by the 
practice of law on country circuits. 

Far from elaborate libraries and legal authorities, law- 
yers were compelled to settle intricate and delicate ques- 
tions of law by force of their own logical reasoning and 

[20] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

argument or effective persuasion to court and jury. Legal 
contests became a severe clash of mind and not a race 
of industry in collecting authorities and decisions. From 
this school have emerged our most eminent lawyers, 
orators, and statesmen. From it came Patrick Henry, 
the most eloquent and effective of all American orators; 
Chief Justice John Marshall, the greatest of all modern 
judges; also Douglas, Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Clay, and 
many others, who constitute our most distinguished and 
successful of public men. Those who are capable of suc- 
cessfully surviving the severe mental contests here daily 
encountered become equipped for service in any arena. 

Senator Martin practiced for years in a circuit com- 
posed of counties the members of whose bars were noted 
for their ability and learning, and he attained great pre- 
eminence among the distinguished lawyers with whom 
he came in contact. His reputation for legal ability and 
learning was so marked that there was a widespread 
movement to elect him to the court of appeals, the highest 
judicial tribunal of our State. I am sure this would easily 
have been accomplished if he had consented. But for 
his refusal he would have become a member of this high 
court, and I am sure would have become distinguished 
as a great jurist, whose legal acumen and learning would 
have adorned our judicial history. 

Mr. President, while assiduously engaged in the prose- 
cution of his legal profession, like all country lawyers. 
Senator Martin took a deep and active interest in politics 
and became the most potential and controlling factor in 
the politics of his section of the State. The people of 
the counties in which he practiced, knowing him inti- 
mately and entertaining for him an abiding confidence 
and esteem, early accepted his leadership, and all through 
his political career were his enthusiastic supporters and 
admirers. 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

From early manhood he took a profound interest in 
the important public questions agitating his State, and 
the wise solution of many of these was the product of 
his brain and bore the impress of his forceful hand. He 
was largely instrumental in the final settlement of the 
State debt of Virginia on a basis just and fair to all con- 
cerned, and thus brought financial and political peace 
to the State, which for years had been agitated by 
unseemly political divisions and unfortunate financial 
distress. 

Modest, unassuming, never seeking publicity, willing 
to work and let others receive the credit, years before 
it was generally known he was the guiding spirit in the 
management of the Democratic Party of Virginia; its 
wisest and most trusted adviser. The leaders of the 
party from all sections of the State continuously sought 
his counsel and assistance. For years, with no prospect 
of personal advancement, his time and means were un- 
selfishly and unstintingly given to the service of his party. 
When Mr. John S. Barbour was elected chairman of the 
Democratic Party of Virginia, under whose leadership 
the control of the State was rescued from the opposition 
party, during the years he held this position Senator 
Martin as a member of the executive committee was his 
closest, most trusted adviser; the man to whom he looked 
more than all others for guidance and assistance. Sen- 
ator Martin justly received a part of the great credit 
accorded his able chieftain for the splendid victories 
achieved. 

When Senator Barbour suddenly died many of the 
Democratic leaders who were acquainted with Senator 
Martin's valuable and unselfish work in behalf of the 
party and knew his great ability and industry, united 
with the party's younger element and insisted that Sen- 
ator Martin should become a candidate for the United 

[22] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

States Senate as Mr. Barbour's successor. Not until then 
had the thought of political preferment stirred Senator 
Martin's aspirations. He consented and precipitated 
one of the closest, fiercest political fights ever waged in 
Virginia, finally winning over Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, a gallant 
and distinguished Confederate officer, a man of great 
charm, abilit} r , and deserved popularity. This contest 
engendered bitterness and produced political divisions 
which lasted for years. However, when in 1918 Senator 
Martin was reelected for the fifth time to the United 
States Senate as the unanimous choice of all parties and 
all the people of Virginia, it was clearly demonstrated 
that these enmities were obliterated, these party divisions 
had faded, and that around his strong personality clus- 
tered the confidence, esteem, and affection of an entire 
State. Worth, merit, and service had thus won a great 
triumph and been properly acclaimed by an appreciative 
people. 

Mr. President, when Senator Martin entered the Senate 
in 1895, the few following years it was composed of men of 
unusual capacity and distinction. There were times be- 
fore in its history when it contained a few men of supe- 
rior merit and eminence, when it possessed towering 
giants like Clay, Webster, and Calhoun, but never before, 
nor since, has the average ability of its Members been sur- 
passed. The Senate was replete with men whose ability, 
eloquence, and genius would have adorned the legislative 
body of any age or country. The very mention of their 
names recalls animated debates, stirring scenes, historic 
incidents, and important legislation with which they were 
connected. 

Serving in the Senate at the time was Hoar, of Massa- 
chusetts, author of innumerable judicial acts, a great law- 
yer, eloquent, and scholarly; Daniel, of Virginia, a great 



[23] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

law writer, an orator of marvelous eloquence and polish; 
Morgan, of Alabama, an encyclopedia of information, pos- 
sessed of a facility and purity of expression never sur- 
passed; Depew, of New York, able, pleasing, and scintil- 
lating with wit and sunshine; Vest, of Missouri, whose 
every sentence glistened with brilliance, wit, epigram, and 
sarcasm, the very Rupert of debate; Hale, of Maine, a 
ready, incisive debater, a most dangerous antagonist; 
Harris, of Tennessee, the best parliamentarian in the 
body, sharp and incisive in speech, swift and direct in ac- 
tion, overwhelming in repartee; Blackburn, of Kentucky, 
genial, lovable, with a copious flow of rich, stirring elo- 
quence; Allison, of Iowa, always calm and composed, logi- 
cal and persuasive in statement, possessed of unbounded 
wisdom and prudence; Gorman, of Maryland, most astute 
manager of men, able and farsighted, leader of the Demo- 
cratic minority; Aldrich, of Rhode Island, the maker of 
tariffs, financial expert, whose master mind and skillful 
hand dominated the Republican majority; Quay, of Penn- 
sylvania, Piatt, of New York, Hanna, of Ohio — three of the 
most masterful political managers this country ever pro- 
duced; illuminating the Senate with ability and learning 
were Teller, of Colorado; Davis, of Minnesota; Proctor, of 
Vermont; Jones, of Arkansas; and many others whom 
time will not permit me to mention. It was a splendid 
body of men, comporting themselves with the dignity and 
reserve expected of the greatest parliamentary body in 
the world. While the atmosphere of the Senate was cold 
and austere, yet its proceedings were conducted with a 
stately decorum, with such profound respect for the Sen- 
ate's past high traditions, that the assembly inspired uni- 
versal confidence and esteem. 

This was a body in which sham and pretense could 
make no progress. Entering the Senate, composed of 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

men of such genuine capacity and character, Senator Mar- 
tin wisely pursued the course that soon brought him the 
esteem and confidence of the Members. He engaged in no 
dramatic performances, made no spectacular speeches to 
obtain publicity or notoriety, but scrupulously and con- 
scientiously discharged every duty assigned him by the 
Senate. He was constant in his attendance at the daily 
sessions and an indefatigable and efficient worker upon 
all the committees to which he was appointed. He early 
demonstrated that he was a working, useful Senator, who 
did things and not merely talked about things. He con- 
sidered a good piece of legislation silently enacted far 
more desirable than a brilliant, sensational speech de- 
livered. His efforts ran to useful achievements, not to 
frequent speeches. He believed the Senate was a legisla- 
tive body and should promptly enact needed legislation, 
and strongly disapproved of its perversion into an arena 
for mere oratorical display to enhance the reputation of 
the speaker or to serve propaganda purposes. When he 
spoke he addressed himself directly to the pending ques- 
tion; was sincere, earnest, clear, and convincing, and 
always had the attention of the entire Senate. The Sen- 
ate realized that when Senator Martin was prompted to 
speak he had something important to say on a vital ques- 
tion, that he had mastered the matter in all its details and 
far-reaching effects, and that his acknowledged wisdom 
and prudence demanded his suggestions should receive 
the most serious consideration. Without oratorical dis- 
play or ornamentation, he was a most forceful speaker. 
When interrupted he was ready and effective in rejoinder, 
and in debate able and skillful. He never used written, 
prepared speeches, yet his diction was fine, his words 
aptly selected, and he studiously avoided all superfluity 
of expression. His speeches were so correct when deliv- 
ered that he rarely, if ever, subjected them to revision. 

[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

He was most courteous and considerate to all Senators. 
No Senator possessed in a greater degree the universal 
good will, friendship, and esteem of the entire body than 
did Senator Martin. From the time he entered the Senate 
until his death he daily increased in influence and reputa- 
tion. His was an enduring growth, founded on strength 
and substantial merit. He sought to shun the meteoric 
reputation obtained by blazing a few days athwart the 
skies of public attention and then disappearing forever 
into the infinity of oblivion. 

At the time of his death Senator Martin was firmly 
established in the confidence of the Senate and country as 
one of our ablest public men, one whose advice and direc- 
tion were wise and invaluable. 

Mr. President, as leader of the Democratic majority in 
the Senate, as chairman of the Committee on Appropria- 
tions, Senator Martin had imposed upon him a responsi- 
bility and exercised an influence in the prosecution of the 
war with Germany second only to that of the President of 
the United States. A larger part of the appropriations 
necessary for the conduct of the war emanated from his 
committee; these bills, and many other important meas- 
ures, indispensable for a successful and vigorous waging 
of war, passed the Senate under his guidance and direction. 

The great work thus accomplished by him can not be 
overestimated. To secure the prompt passage of these 
measures, many of which encountered much opposition, 
required the exercise of great parliamentary skill and 
leadership. His tact, his ability to reconcile differences, 
to propitiate opposition, to unite discordant elements in 
his own party, were never displayed to greater advantage 
than during this war; and through the exercise of these 
qualities so preeminently possessed by him many a bill, 
the passage of which at first seemed hopeless, finally 



[26] 



Address of Mr. Swanson, of Virginia 

received legislative sanction. His calm patience, his 
constant persistence, his restrained silence, secured the 
passage of his measures with marked ease and prompt- 
ness. The Senate recognized that when he took charge of 
a bill its passage through the Senate was assured within a 
reasonable time and with little change and no mutilation. 
The facility with which he secured the passage of legisla- 
tion was almost unrivaled. He was never known, as 
others have been, to destroy his bill by his own intermi- 
nable debate. He studiously refrained from speech except 
when it was absolutely necessary. 

Mr. President, the heavy burdens and weighty responsi- 
bilities imposed upon Senator Martin by the important 
position held by him during the war were greater than 
his strength could bear. His unceasing work, day and 
night, without rest or recreation, the continuous pressure 
upon him as leader of the majority, and the anxieties and 
responsibilities incident to the position undermined his 
health and left him at the conclusion of the war a physical 
wreck. Despite the solemn warning his physicians gave 
him that unless he desisted from his strenuous life fatal 
results might ensue, and the constant solicitations of his 
friends not to destroy his health, he firmly refused in the 
critical time of the war to abandon his post of duty, and 
thus unselfishly and patriotically sacrificed his life to 
public service. 

It is by the lives and sacrifice of such men as Senator 
Martin that States and nations progress along correct lines 
and are made strong and great. 

A poet has well expressed it : 

What builds a nation's pillars high 

And makes it great and strong? 
What makes it mighty to defy 

The foes that 'round it throng? 



[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

Not gold, but only men can make 

A nation great and strong; 
Men who for truth and honor's sake 

Hold still and suffer long. 

Brave men who work while others sleep, 

Who dare when others sigh; 
They build a nation's pillars deep 

And lift it to the sky. 



f28] 



Address of Mr. Lodge, of Massachusetts 

Mr. President: I had been two years a Senator when 
Senator Martin entered the Senate. We served together 
for a quarter of a century, and during that time I came to 
know him very well, our friendship, although we were of 
different parties, increasing with each succeeding year. 
There is a large opportunity for the growth of friendship 
in the Senate, because, after all, it is here that our waking 
hours are chiefly passed and our fellow Senators are men 
whom we see every day and with whom we are engaged 
steadily and for long periods in a common work for a 
common purpose. 

When the contemporary service of two Senators reaches 
to 25 years, the constant relationship necessarily draws 
them very closely together. In this way opportunity was 
given me to know Senator Martin very well, and the more 
I knew him the more attached I became to him. He had 
never held public office until he came to the Senate, differ- 
ing in that respect from most of his colleagues, but from 
the start he showed his large natural capacity for the im- 
portant work of legislation, and, wholly apart from the 
party measures, which, after all, do not occupy most of 
the time, he proved himself a thoroughly good legislator, 
following all the business and earnest to secure the best 
results. He was a man of strong opinions which he sus- 
tained with great vigor and persistence. This was shown 
by his service in the Confederate Army when he was a 
mere boy, and the same qualities went with him through 
life. He was a thorough American, devoted to his country 
and his State, and anything un-American not only met 
with no sympathy from him but roused his energetic re- 
sistance. He was attached to all the traditions of the 

[29] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

country, to those policies by which the country has been 
built up and which are distinctively American. Never 
were such men more needed than at this precise time, and 
although he had passed the Psalmist's age, his departure 
leaves a great gap in the Senate to those who had long 
served with him. 

He was always zealous for the prompt transaction of the 
public business, and the delays which sometimes charac- 
terize the Senate tried his patience severely. He often 
said to me that there was no subject which a man could 
not discuss sufficiently in an hour, and he did not suffer 
long speeches gladly. But he could always be depended 
upon to drive forward the business of the Government 
and the legislation necessary to carry on that Government 
properly and efficiently. In all personal relations he was 
one of the most agreeable and companionable of men and 
a good friend if there ever was one. He was above all 
things loyal; in his early days loyal to his State and to the 
cause which his State then espoused, proud of her great 
traditions and of the service which she had rendered 
throughout our history. He was equally loyal to the 
United States when he became one of the great body which 
plays so large a part in the National Government. But his 
loyalty of disposition did not stop at principles of govern- 
ment or the traditions of the Nation and the State. He 
was loyal to his friends. Whether they were of the same 
party as he or not made no difference. If he had once 
admitted a man to his personal friendship, he was always 
loyal to him, and I have seen him on the floor of the Senate 
resent with characteristic warmth a base attack upon a 
Senator of the opposite party with the same earnestness 
with which he would have resented an attack upon one of 
his own political faith. Qualities like these never fail to 
make a man lovable, and while he had the respect of 
everyone he also commanded their affection. He rose to 

[30] 



Address of Mr. Lodge, of Massachusetts 



be the leader of his party in the Senate, and no man ever 
filled that responsible position better than he. Such a 
man whenever death comes can not but be a great loss. 
It is commonly and truthfully said that there are no in- 
dispensable men, but there are, nevertheless, those whose 
place, whether in friendship or in public life, it is very 
hard to fill and who leave behind them a vacant place of 
which all men who have been privileged to know them are 
deeply sensible. The Senate has been deprived by Senator 
Martin's death of a man who added honor to its long his- 
tory and who will be sadly missed by the friends whom he 
made in public life who best knew his worth, his warm 
affections, and his many admirable and attaching quali- 
ties. He worked on despite increasing illness, with no 
abatement of interest in the questions before him and no 
diminution in his ruling determination that all duties 
should be conscientiously performed. Whatever his years, 
he was always young in mind, in heart, and in feeling. 
He died as he would have wished to die — in harness, with 
faculties undimmed, and he faced the end with all the per- 
sonal courage which had gone with him through life. 



[311 



Address of Mr. Smith, of Maryland 

Mr. President: The world will always be the debtor 
to the State of Virginia for the great men she has given so 
generously and abundantly to the service of civilization. 

Washington, Jefferson, Henry, Madison are the first of 
that brilliant and imperishable company. And now we 
have gathered to do honor to another great son of Vir- 
ginia — Thomas S. Martin. 

It is not too much praise to say that in prophetic 
wisdom, loftiness, and purity of character and exalted 
patriotism he is without doubt worthy to be classed with 
those other great characters, now historic, and to whom 
he was so lately joined. 

For Thomas S. Martin grew white and grew poor in 
the performance of unostentatious, diligent, self-sacri- 
ficing service to his country. 

There is a wholesome, indeed glorifying, lesson to be 
learned from his deliberate abandonment of the brilliant 
professional career, his for the taking, and which prom- 
ised certain and large returns, in wealth, distinction, and 
ease, to carry on so faithfully his too often unappreciated 
public work for his State and his country in this body. 
Few can fully appreciate or assess the priceless worth of 
his life and labor for the public welfare. 

Throughout it all, gradually growing poorer in worldly 
goods, he forgot his own advancement, his own loss, in 
his consuming desire to enrich the world by his efforts. 
To do his duty in his chosen field, as he saw it, was to him 
only worth while; that alone was to him priceless. His 
rugged, healthy, intellectual honesty accepted no compro- 
mise where principle was involved. His brains and hands 



[32] 



Address of Mr. Smith, of Maryland 



knew no rest when there was work for the Republic to 
be done. 

His loyalty to his convictions, his rare devotion to his 
many friends, his culture and clean heart, made all who 
knew him love him and few more than I. His all he gave 
his country ungrudgingly. 

No man could give more; do more. 

And we in this Chamber, as do the people of the land, 
who with us mourn his death, find ourselves powerless, 
helpless, to fill the unique place he so long held by un- 
disputed title. 

Senator Martin's was a nature born to leadership. He 
was preeminently a leader always, though often without 
wishing to be. He left his work as leader here reluctantly. 

For months with inflinching courage he looked forward 
to the end, fully realizing his desperate physical condition. 

His regret even upon the eve of approaching dissolution 
was not that he must die, but rather that he must die leav- 
ing his task uncompleted, especially that the sort of peace 
he desired for the world to have must be made by other 
hands, if at all. 

Historians can point to no finer record among English- 
speaking statesmen, idealized throughout the centuries 
past, than we have been privileged to see here for our- 
selves in the character and daily walk of Thomas Staples 
Martin. 

His inspiring life and example must in many effective 
ways persist, and can not fail to stimulate those of us 
who respect his ideals and love his memory to seek the 
more earnestly to carry forward the torch that lately 
fell from our leader's dying hands. 



46666—22 3 [33] 



Address of Mr. Warren, of Wyoming 

Mr. President: It has been said, evidently by a some- 
what misanthropic person, that human glory is but dust 
and ashes, and that we mortals are no more than shadows 
in pursuit of shadows. 

But who can say that a man who has lived an upright 
and useful life for more than 72 years; who has devoted 
nearly a quarter of a century to the service of the public; 
who, like Abou Ben Adhem of old, has loved his fellow 
men, and has been fair and square in his dealings with 
them — who can say that he has lived in vain, and that 
when he passes to the great beyond he has left behind only 
dust and ashes, and shadows vanished and forgotten? 

Such a man, possessing the qualities I have enumerated, 
was our beloved colleague, Senator Martin. An Ameri- 
can through and through, a devoted worker in the interest 
of every cause which he believed to be beneficial to his 
country, and a man of splendid judgment as well, his 
departure meant a great loss to us personally and to the 
Senate officially. 

All of us here recognized the fact that he was endowed 
with qualities such as are possessed by all men who follow 
political activities as a sort of " second nature." His abil- 
ity to make and keep strong friendships, and to inspire 
and retain the respect of all who knew him, both friends 
and mere acquaintances, were among his many splendid 
attributes. 

Thomas Staples Martin was born at Scottsville, Albe- 
marle County, Va., on July 29, 1847, where he lived until 
about 10 years ago. He then bought an estate near Char- 
lottesville, which was his home until Death claimed him. 

[34] 



Address of Mr. Warren, of Wyoming 

In his youth he was a member of the battalion of cadets 
of the Virginia Military Institute, and he took part in the 
military service of the Confederate States, participating 
in the Battle of New Market and other engagements. 

He began practicing law in the year 1869, and during 
the remainder of his life he devoted much time to that 
profession. 

For more than 24 years he served the people of his State 
and of the country at large as a Member of the United 
States Senate, where his usefulness was continuously rec- 
ognized and greatly appreciated by all of us who have had 
the honor of serving with him. 

As we know, his seniority, as well as his ability and his 
capacity for hard work, finally brought him to the chair- 
manship of the Committee on Appropriations, where, dur- 
ing the war period, the great burdens of the country's 
money problems were constantly present. Senator Mar- 
tin's responsibilities then became far greater than his 
physical endurance; but, regardless of the advice of friends 
and physicians, he remained on duty throughout that 
troublous period of our country's history and until stricken 
by the serious illness which five months later caused his 
untimely death. 

As a matter of fact, he gave his life to his country in 
time of war just as our brave soldiers did who made the 
supreme sacrifice on the battle fields of France. 

Such service, while there is nothing dramatic or sensa- 
tional about it, was of inestimable worth to our Govern- 
ment. Senator Martin, a superior man by nature, had 
also the great assets of long experience as a legislator, 
years of devoted study of his country's needs, his memory 
of the lessons taught us by the Spanish-American War, 
which occurred during his first term as a Member of this 
body, and a sense of conscientious devotion to duty such 
as one does not find so keenly developed in the hearts of 

[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

all public servants. He did not work for name or fame, 
for gratitude or glorification, but to fulfill his patriotic 
obligation to his Government to the best of his ability. 

I lost a good and valued friend when Senator Martin 
was taken from us, and I shall always cherish in memory 
the pleasure and satisfaction 1 derived from service with 
him during our many years together as fellow committee- 
men and fellow Senators. 

When the great day of judgment comes, the roll call of 
the State of Virginia will carry the names of many hon- 
ored and illustrious dead. But present and future gen- 
erations of the Old Dominion's children will hold no name 
in higher esteem than that of her beloved son, Thomas 
Staples Martin. 



[36] 



Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 

Mr. President: I deem it a privilege to be permitted to 
say a few words in memory of Virginia's great Senator 
whom we have gathered to honor to-day. 

During the turmoil of life and in the midst of the strug- 
gles and controversies of the Senate, we see as through a 
glass darkly. We are not always able to measure cor- 
rectly the characteristics, the abilities, and the services of 
a public man. When death comes, however, and we look 
back upon the scenes through which we have passed, a 
clearer light is thrown upon the individual and upon his 
services, and certain qualities stand out in bold relief. 
With Senator Martin it seems to me to be peculiarly true 
that his great value as a public man was due in a large re- 
spect to his strength in what we call the homely virtues. 

The Senator from Virginia, Mr. Swanson, has delivered 
a beautiful tribute to his late colleague, and has analyzed 
his character in a most impressive way. What seemed to 
me to be the commanding quality in Senator Martin's 
character was his strength, and with that I include his 
courage, his steadiness of purpose, his determination to 
do his duty. 

In these days, Mr. President, when the people of the 
United States are perhaps confronted with a disposition 
of many to shirk duty, the services and the life of Sena- 
tor Martin stand as a splendid example. 

It appears to me that one of the consequences of this 
war has been a sort of moral let down in all walks of life, 
a disposition quite general on the part of each individual 
to look after himself, to do as little as he can and get as 
much as he may. Senator Martin's life was laid along 
lines exactly contrary to that. He gave up more than 25 

[37] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

years of that life, more than a quarter of a century in 
time, to the service of his State, the service of his people, 
the service of the United States; and when I say he gave 
it up I am only echoing what has already been said, that 
his life here in Washington was one of continuous, unre- 
mitting industry and service. 

Think of the countless hours he spent in hard com- 
mittee work; think of the endless days he spent in strug- 
gles in this Chamber; think of the thousands of trips he 
made to the departments here in Washington on public 
business or representing his constituents; think of all that 
he did for others during those 25 years, and you will real- 
ize that his life was an unselfish one; that it was a life of 
service and not a life of self-interest and self-promotion. 

As has already been said, his work was characterized 
by a strict adherence to his sense of duty. He had a con- 
tempt for anything in the nature of a shirker or pretender. 
He was brief and to the point. He was quick in reaching 
his decisions, as well as careful, and he was firm in adher- 
ing to them. He despised insincerity and hypocrisy. He 
had no use for the insincere man. He was direct and open 
and frank. 

Mr. President, Senator Martin represented in an un- 
usual degree a link between the past and the present. 
In this body there remain only a very few who occupy 
that position to-day. His life went back to the days of 
the Civil War, and it came forward to the days of the 
reconstituted American Republic. He represented the 
old as well as the new, and not many with that experience 
still remain in public life. 

Mr. President, it was my privilege to count Senator 
Martin as my friend, and there are few men whom I have 
known whose friendship was more sincere, more disinter- 
ested, or more steadfast. 



[38] 



Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 

Senator Martin represented an element of great value 
in the public service of the United States. He repre- 
sented a conservative element. The service he rendered 
to his country, however, was not confined to the exercise 
of a conservative judgment, but he became conspicuous 
and active, as his colleague has shown, in pushing to 
passage in the Senate the remarkable list of constructive 
acts of the present administration, done very largely 
under his leadership. 

In mourning to-day the death of this great representa- 
tive leader from Virginia the Senate does well to pay 
tribute to his memory. The State of Virginia has lost one 
of her eminent men, one of her men who will be known 
in history, and the Senate has lost one of its most valu- 
able Members, as his work here during a quarter of a 
century abundantly testifies. 



39 ' 



Address of Mr. Nelson, of Minnesota 

Mr. President: Thomas S. Martin became a Member 
of the Senate on the 4th of March, 1895. Fourteen other 
Senators began their service in the Senate at the same 
time. Of this number all but four are dead, anil of the 
living one is still in the Senate; and of the dead the follow- 
ing-named six died in the service of the Senate : Augustus 
O. Bacon, Stephen B. Elkins, John H. Gear, William J. 
Sewell, Benjamin R. Tillman, and Thomas S. Martin, 
who was the last of the number to die and was the longest 
in the service of the Senate. 

In the face of such a list of our departed associates, 
all men of high character and pronounced ability, we 
can not avoid reflecting upon the transitory character of 
human life and human activity, even among the bravest 
and the best. But while the span of life and activity may 
be brief and appear perishable, the result of the useful 
and good done and accomplished survives, though not 
always and for the moment visible, and is the chief legacy 
of our existence. 

There is in the moral and intellectual world no broader 
or nobler field of usefulness than in a legislative body 
such as the United States Senate, which has jurisdiction 
not only over domestic affairs but also, to some extent, 
over foreign affairs. 

Legislators approach their duties from two different 
angles and on two different theories. One class seem 
to have no pronounced opinion on any important 
public question, but seek to be guided solely by what 
they conceive to be the opinion of the majority of the 
people they represent, without any regard to the intrinsic 
merits of the question. In other words, they court what 

[40] 



Address of Mr. Nelson, of Minnesota 



they regard as most popular, even if their own judgment 
tells them it is unwise. Another class take a more serious 
and conservative view of their duty. While they are not 
oblivious of the views of the public, the masses of the 
people, if you please, yet they feel that it is their duty to 
exercise their own best judgment on great public ques- 
tions, and if their judgment runs counter to public opin- 
ion for the time being they feel that it is their duty not 
only to act rightly and justly and according to their best 
judgment but also to aim to instruct and to lead public 
opinion into the right channels. In other words, that they 
should not only be real leaders and guides in legislation 
but that they should also be real guides and instructors 
for their constituency. The masses of the public may 
sometimes, through misinformation or lack of informa- 
tion, go astray. In such a case it is the duty of the repre- 
sentative to give his constituency the necessary informa- 
tion and to guide them into true and just premises and 
conclusions. 

The class I have first mentioned is, in the main, of a 
more modern type than the other class, and seems to some 
extent to be an outcome of the evolution that has taken 
place in recent years in our systems of nominations and 
elections. 

Most of our prominent and leading legislators of former 
times, of bygone days, appear to have belonged to the 
second class to which I have referred. These great men 
of the past did not regard themselves as mere legislative 
automatons, to register temporary fluctuations of the so- 
called public pulse. They felt that first of all their con- 
stituents were entitled to the exercise of their best judg- 
ment and opinion on all great public questions, that this 
was an important part of their legislative functions. 
While they were willing to hear all and to counsel with 
all, yet, like jurymen, they must render their own judg- 

[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

ment upon the law and facts of the case in hand and act 
accordingly. More than this, if it turned out that there 
was a conflict between their views and the views of their 
constituents founded on ignorance or misapprehension, 
then it was their duty to instruct, educate, and guide their 
constituents into the right channels and proper conclu- 
sion. The finest and greatest example of statesmen of this 
school is found in the men who framed our Federal Con- 
stitution. They formulated that great instrument accord- 
ing to their own opinions and upon their own judgment, 
without listening to clamor or voices from the outside; 
and when their work was assailed, after its completion, 
feeling that they were right, they defended it boldly, 
heroically, and effectively in speech and press against all 
assaults, and in the end secured its adoption after a great 
educational campaign. 

Senator Martin belonged, by mental and moral equip- 
ment, to this school of legislators and statesmen. He came 
from good Virginia stock; had a liberal education in his 
native State, both of a civil and military character; be- 
came a good, sound, and reliable lawyer; and, above all, 
proved himself independent, trustworthy, fearless, reli- 
able, and of sound judgment, both in private and public 
affairs. When he entered the Senate he came mentally 
and morally well equipped for the task, and he assumed 
the work of legislation in a serious and conservative spirit, 
determined to bear his full share of the legislative burden 
and to exercise his best judgment on all public questions. 

Experience has long ago made it manifest to us who 
have been a long time in the Senate, as well as to others, 
that legislative activity is, in the main, exercised through 
two groups or classes of Senators. The members of one 
class are faithful and industrious in their committee work 
and in formulating and preparing legislative measures for 
the action of the Senate, while not as a rule participating 

[42] 



Address of Mr. Nelson, of Minnesota 

to any great extent in the debates, beyond giving brief ex- 
planations and answering questions. Members of the 
other class give little or no attention to committee work, 
but devote their attention to the debate and discussion of 
legislative measures and public questions, elucidating and 
expounding the same from all angles and standpoints, and 
in this manner advising their colleagues as to the merits 
of measures that may have been overlooked by the com- 
mittees, and, above all, keeping the public in touch with 
what is pending and going on in the halls of legislation. 
Members of this class, owing to the character of their 
work, are rather more in the limelight than those of the 
former class. 

Senator Martin, in his legislative activity, belonged, in 
the main, to the first of these groups. He was a most faith- 
ful and industrious attendant of all meetings of commit- 
tees of which he was a member, rendering in all such cases 
most valuable and efficient service. I can bear witness to 
this fact, for I was associated with him on one of the im- 
portant committees of the Senate during nearly all his 
service in this body. He was one of the most energetic of 
committee workers— fearless, thorough, and self-con- 
tained. And while his greatest task was in committee 
work, he was also a good debater. Measures that he had 
in charge on the floor of the Senate he would expound in 
an instructive and convincing manner, never failing to 
meet all questions propounded to him in a candid and 
convincing spirit. 

He was, above all things, fearless and independent. 
With him it was always a question as to what was for the 
best of our country. Public clamor, if not based on jus- 
tice and righteousness, made scant impression on him. 
and while he was beyond a question devoted to his State, 
yet his loyalty to the Union, to our common country and 
its interests, was ever uppermost and foremost in his 

43 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

thought and labors. He was emphatically a most pro- 
nounced exponent of the new South. He was actuated by 
the sentiment — 

Let the dead past bury its dead. 
Act, act in the living present, 
Heart within and God o'erhead. 

He was not given to what I term mere academic oratory 
or debate. He was content to confine his discussion to 
pending or proposed measures, and never indulged in 
mere political oratory. As a debater he was instructive, 
sincere, earnest, and convincing, and as such often proved 
a balm on the flights of oratory of an opponent. He was a 
pronounced and determined enemy of all shams and of all 
camouflage. Neither was he a man of lofty airs or high 
pretensions. He was a plain, hard-working, and most in- 
dustrious Senator, who was content to do his work and 
allotted task without the blare of trumpets and beating of 
cymbals. He aimed at practical and wholesome results, 
and to this he devoted his energy and his life. A Senate 
composed of such men as Senator Martin would never go 
far astray and would be more likely to formulate and en- 
act needed measures for the welfare of the country than 
a mere galaxy of orators, however gifted they might be as 
such. Mere oratory may lubricate the legislative wheels, 
but it hardly ever furnishes the real material or the real 
labor. 

During the last year of the Civil War Senator Martin 
was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, and as such 
served in the Confederate forces during the closing days of 
the war. He and Senator Bankhead, who soon followed 
him in death, were the last survivors of the Confederate 
armies in this Chamber. Two soldiers of the Union armies 
are still in our midst, both advanced in years. When they 
are finally mustered out, which can not be far off, this 

[44] 



Address of Mr. Nelson, of Minnesota 



Chamber will have no longer in its ranks any representa- 
tive of those mighty hosts which more than 50 years ago so 
heroically and hravely struggled for supremacy. While 
the cause of the Union won, the glory of the soldier, Union 
and Confederate alike, survives. They were all Ameri- 
cans, and all fought as only Americans can fight; and their 
descendants who fought in the late World War have 
demonstrated that they could fight as bravely and as hero- 
ically, side by side and shoulder to shoulder, as their an- 
cestors did on opposite sides in the days of the Civil War. 
Virginia has been represented by many great statesmen 
and great orators in the United States Senate, men of great 
renown and famous throughout the land, but none of 
them has rendered more faithful or more efficient service 
as a legislator than Senator Martin. His work may not 
have been of that meteoric character, as was the work of 
some of his predecessors, but in substantial, far-reaching, 
and beneficial results the burden he bore and the task he 
performed stand second to none. Virginia can well be 
proud of such a legislative record of faithfulness to 
public duty and public trust. 



[45] 



Address of Mr. Simmons, of North Carolina 

Mr. President: I do not rise to eulogize but to pay a 
loving tribute to the memory of a departed friend. 

When I entered this body, now over 19 years ago, I 
found Senator Martin here. There was then in the Senate 
a galaxy of distinguished men, most of whom have since 
passed away, but whose names are indissolubly linked 
with the history of the Nation. 

Already the then junior Senator from Virginia, just 
entering upon his second term, had found his way into 
the inner circles of this distinguished group, and had 
become a potential factor in the work and deliberations 
of the Senate. During all the intervening years of his 
service here his influence, never waning, grew steadily and 
continuously, finally culminating in his selection to the 
position of leader of his party, which position he held at 
the time of his death. 

It goes without saying that no man could retain for 24 
years the prominent position Senator Martin held in this 
body without being a man of high qualities both of mind 
and heart. During all these years he enjoyed the full 
confidence and esteem of the entire membership of this 
body, and I am sure I can safely say no Senator enjoyed 
greater or more universal popularity with his associates. 
Though his manner sometimes seemed brusque, all recog- 
nized it as the brusqueness of a direct and frank nature 
rather than of ill temper, for no one who knew him well, 
or came in close touch with him, could fail to discover the 
kindness and cordiality of his disposition and the innate 
gentleness of his spirit. 

Senator Martin, though a convincing speaker and a 
forceful and resourceful debater, was not an orator. In 



[46] 



Address of Mr. Simmons, of North Carolina 



the Senate he seldom spoke, and never long. Indeed, he 
seemed rather to shrink from forensic conflict, but he did 
not falter in this respect if he thought it necessary and 
expedient in the accomplishment of his purpose, or in the 
support or furtherance of the interest or position for which 
he stood, and when he did speak it was because he had 
something worth while to say, and he said it with a direct- 
ness and forcefulness that challenged attention and put 
his adversaries upon their mettle. All of his speeches 
were characterized by directness, and were never obscure, 
either in statement or implication. 

His industry was remarkable and unremitting. During 
his whole service in the Senate he was a close attendant 
upon its sittings. Generally, except when in attendance 
upon the important committees of which he was a mem- 
ber, he was to be found in his seat. His unflagging inter- 
est, energy, and industry in the discharge of every duty 
and function of his great office were notable and excep- 
tional. 

His equipoise was splendid. He was always steady and 
calm. With tireless patience and industry he pursued 
the even tenor of his way, giving to every public matter 
committed to his charge and in which he was interested 
the most thorough study and consideration; and thus it 
came about that no man in this body was better equipped 
than he for the work before him. 

Beyond doubt the possession of these high qualities and 
traits measurably contributed to his usefulness, standing, 
and position in the Senate; but they were not and could 
not, of course, have been the main source of his great 
and long-sustained influence and power in a body which 
appraises and measures its membership with impartial 
exactitude. His great influence and success as a Senator 
and statesman was chiefly due to his open-minded frank- 



[47] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

ness, his moral and intellectual integrity and courage, and 
his sound judgment and level headedness. 

I know of no man who has served in the Senate since I 
have been here whose counsel and advice were more 
highly esteemed by his associates and carried more weight 
than his. "What does Martin think?" was an inquiry 
often made by Senators in connection with their discus- 
sions of difficult and mooted questions. The unusual 
esteem in which his associates in the Senate held his judg- 
ment and advice was not due altogether to the confidence 
entertained in his ability to analyze difficult and abstruse 
problems, and reach a sound conclusion, though that was 
great, but it was in large part the result of their confidence 
in his moral and intellectual integrity and courage. They 
knew he was as sincere, courageous, and honest in thought 
as in action. They knew the opinions which he declared 
were those which he had reached, and that they were 
devoid of all elements of subterfuge or dissimulation. 

Somewhat brusque in manner, at times seeming a little 
callous, his spirit was gentle, and his heart beat in unison 
with that of his fellow men, and nothing gave him keener 
pleasure than to serve them. No man possessed in a 
higher degree the spirit of patriotism and service than he. 
He was not an ambitious man, and cared but little for 
money; and it was not ambition or lust for power or gain 
that caused him to devote the best part of his life to the 
service of his State, his country, and his fellow man. 

Thus it came about that the fruitage of his life, the 
reward of his toils and struggles, were not the things that 
appeal to selfishness, but the things that were helpful to 
his fellow men and his country. While he left but little 
of this world's goods, though he wrought constantly and 
had lived frugally, he left what is infinitely more to be 
desired — a record of splendid and useful achievement, an 

[48] 



Address of Mr. Simmons, of North Carolina 



honorable name unstained, and an enduring sense of 
gratitude in the hearts of his countrymen. 

It is gratifying to know that when the end came he 
passed peacefully away, and that " like a shadow thrown 
softly and sweetly from a passing cloud, death fell upon 
him." It is comforting to his associates here and to those 
who loved him to have the assurance of our religion that, 
though dead, he still liveth. " I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and if He live I know I, too, shall live." 

The day has come, not gone; 
The sun has risen, not set; 
His life is now beyond 
The reach of death or change; 
Not ended, but begun. 



4666G— 22 1 [49] 



Address of Mr. Jones, of Washington 

Mr. President: We form our judgments and opinions 
of men we do not know from the things we hear and read 
of them. This opinion and judgment is more or less 
molded by our views of questions we are interested in or 
by our personal bias. This leads to wrong and often- 
times unjust impressions. The things we hear or read 
may come from a prejudiced source. They may appeal 
to our own prejudices, partisan or otherwise, and this 
often leads us into grievous error. I have known men of 
national prominence toward whom the popular view was 
wholly wrong and very unjust. At any rate, a personal 
acquaintance with them changed my view and proved to 
me that they were the reverse of what they were said to 
be and what the public believed them to be. 

To a degree this was my experience with Senator 
Martin. I had met him only casually before I entered the 
Senate. I had read more or less of him and had seen va- 
rious references to his work and views in the papers. My 
impression was not a favorable one. I thought him to be 
a man of narrow, partisan views, of rather unscrupulous 
methods, of reactionary tendencies, and what is com- 
monly called a " machine man," with all that that implies. 
How wholly wrong I was in this opinion I had the pleasure 
of telling him before he passed away; and I am glad to 
give this testimony for the Record, not only as a proper 
tribute to him but in the hope that it may cause some one 
to be slow in passing adverse judgment upon those they 
do not know, and especially upon public men whose duty 
H is to consider carefully all phases of the questions upon 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Jones, of Washington 



which they must act and then do what they believe is for 
the best interests of their country. 

I was not long in this body till I became aware of tin- 
universal esteem in which Senator Martin was held by his 
colleagues, regardless of party, and those who had known 
him longest seemed to esteem him highest. It was not 
long until my views and impressions about him began to 
change. I looked for those things my impressions led me 
to expect. I did not find them. He was open, frank, fair, 
honest, and just in his dealings. Rather brusque in man- 
ner, he was withal kind, considerate, and tender. He was 
firm and positive in his opinions, but you instinctively felt 
that he was honest and conscientious in his views. He was 
a strong partisan, but, above all, he was a patriot, and 
whatever he did was done for his country's ultimate good 
and with a belief that the action he took was for his coun- 
try's good. 

He was often referred to as a " reactionary " or a 
" standpat " or a " conservative " Democrat. He was so in 
the sense that every honest, conscientious, and patriotic 
man stands firmly for what he thinks is right and refuses 
to follow what he believes to be wrong. Senator Martin 
may not have agreed with many of the proposals ad- 
vanced for the uplift of the people, but what he did be- 
lieve in and the measures he stood for he thought were 
for their good, and he was as honest and sincere in his 
opinions as those who disagreed with him. He may not 
have agreed with those few who would have the Govern- 
ment help and support its citizens, but he stood for and 
believed in those things that he thought would best pro- 
mote their welfare. He was an honest man, a faithful 
legislator, a consistent partisan, a devoted husband, and 
an intensely patriotic American. He did his duty faith- 
fully as he saw it, and reflected great credit upon the State 



[51] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

that honored him so long. His life and work will be a 
guide and inspiration to those who would serve their State 
and their country. To us who were favored with a more 
intimate knowledge of his kindly, genial nature, his ster- 
ling mental and moral qualities, and his tender, gentle 
attributes, his memory will be a precious heritage. 



[52] 



Address of Mr. Pomerene, of Ohio 

Mr. President: Little can be added to the splendid 
eulogies thus far pronounced. 

If I were to attempt to describe in a phrase the chief 
characteristic of our friend and former associate, Hon. 
Thomas Staples Martin, I would speak of it as his intense 
devotion to duty as it was given him to see it. Loyalty 
was his watchword. He was loyal to himself, to his 
family, to his friends, to his State, to the Nation. True 
it is that as a boy he cast his lot with his State in the 
Civil War, no doubt through a sense of duty to the State 
of his nativity. The war having ended, the allegiance 
which he gave to the Stars and Bars was transferred to 
the Stars and Stripes. The country was reunited, and 
he was a part of it. 

After the war he completed his preliminary education, 
read law, early rose to a high rank in his profession, and 
at the time of his death was the first citizen of the Old 
Dominion State. For five consecutive times Virginia hon- 
ored him by election to the United States Senate. No 
other man has ever been so distinguished by the State 
of Virginia. Only three sitting Members of the Senate 
have thus been honored by their respective States — the 
senior Senator from Massachusetts, Mr. Lodge; the senior 
Senator from Wyoming, Mr. Warren; and the senior 
Senator from Minnesota, Mr. Nelson. Only 12 other 
Senators, if I am rightly informed, in the entire history 
of the United States have been thus favored by their re- 
spective States with five or more elections: 

Hon. John T. Morgan, of Alabama; Hon. Shelby M. 
Cullom, of Illinois; Hon. William B. Allison, of Iowa; 

[53] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

Hon. Eugene Hale and Hon. William P. Frye, of Maine; 
Hon. Thomas Benton and Hon. Francis M. Cockrell, of 
Missouri; Hon. John P. Jones, of Nevada; Hon. John Sher- 
man, of Ohio; Hon. Nelson W. Aldrich, of Rhode Island; 
Hon. Justin S. Morrill, of Vermont; and Hon. Jacob H. 
Gallinger, of New Hampshire. 

To stale merely the fact that Senator Martin was thus 
elected and reelected to the greatest legislative body in 
the world is conclusive evidence of the high character of 
his service and of the abiding affection which his people 
entertained for him. Surely he was not without honor 
in his own country. 

He did not reach his goal of success by some meteoric 
flight of fancy. Rather it was an arduous path he trod. 
When he came to the " hill of difficulty " he climbed it. 
He did not go around it. Nothing daunted, nothing dis- 
couraged him. His was the genius of hard work, added 
to native ability of a high order. He labored, he did not 
idle. His eyes were on his work, not on the clock. He 
thought; he did not dream. His energies were devoted to 
construction, not to destruction. By his works his col- 
leagues knew him, not by his words. 

No honest man ever questioned his integrity or that 
in all he did or thought he was ever guided by high pur- 
poses. 

In the nine years of my service in the Senate I have 
known of no one who has surpassed him in effectiveness 
as a legislator or in his consecration to the duties of his 
high office. 

In his legislative work, as in his private life, he took 
counsel of fact, not of fiction. With him doctrines were 
not true because they were new, nor were they false be- 
cause they were old. As new questions arose he looked 
forward to and took pride in our civic development, but 
in doing so he did not lose sight of the guiding wisdom of 

[54] 



Address of Mr. Pomerene, of Ohio 



the past. He was a man of vision, not " of visions," hence 
some of the opposition which his course inspired. Senator 
Martin's feet were always on the ground, and his head 
was never above the clouds. He was not given to much 
speech making. Few pages of the Congressional Record 
are filled with his utterances. But the United Stales Stat- 
utes at Large, and particularly the great appropriation 
acts, will always remain as monuments to his industry, his 
intelligence, and his conservative regard for the financial 
and general welfare of his fellow countrymen. 

Senator Martin's face and figure were not familiar to 
the great body of the people, simply because he did not 
frequent public places; but his colleagues and his con- 
stituents always knew that they could find him either in 
his office or in his home. Devotion to duty was the secret 
of his great success. 

Now that he is gone, who that ever knew him can forget 
him, or the profit derived from his wise counsel and his 
well-poised mind? 

No one ever found him obtrusive in the presentation of 
his views, but with what firmness and frankness he always 
spoke. Few men in our legislative halls will be more 
missed than he. He had passed the threescore years and 
ten, and necessarily we could not expect him to linger 
much longer among these scenes of his great labors; but 
because of his well-stored mind and his broad experience 
we were wont to go to him for counsel and guidance. Now 
that he is gone we shall miss him more than words can tell. 



[55] 



Address of Mr. Glass, of Virginia 

Mr. President: A tall oak has fallen; a monarch of the 
forest cut down. Trite though the analogy be, it fittingly 
conveys the thought of the Virginia people when Thomas 
Staples Martin passed away. I wish that I might aptly 
express in words their high estimate of their fallen chief 
and the degree of their faith in his capabilities and the 
extent of their pride in his achievements, thus interpreting 
in the language of oral speech Senator Martin's lofty 
qualities of mind and heart and ideals as they appealed 
to those who knew him best and loved him most. Yet, in 
a lively recognition of my own limitations, I apprehend 
that the theme can be done scant justice at my hands. 

The tidings of Senator Martin's death affected the peo- 
ple of Virginia with a consciousness of a real personal 
loss, producing public sorrow in a degree that has been 
rarely witnessed at the passing of a public man. The 
scene at his funeral service when he was laid to rest at- 
tested with pathetic eloquence the deep-seated, affection- 
ate loyalty of those who had given their faith to him in 
the early period of his political prominence and who had 
followed him throughout the intervening years. There, 
at the open graveside of their dead chief, they foregath- 
ered, these stalwarts, the old guard of the Martin clans. 
From city and from countryside they came to pay the last 
tribute of their devotion to the man who had led them to 
victory in every political battle that has been waged in 
Virginia for nearly three decades. And there these men 
gave compelling manifestation of their deep and lasting 
attachment for the grim, resolute, masterful leader they 
had so newly lost. The spectacle then presented I shall 
not soon forget, nor the thoughts to which it gave rise, in 

[56] 



Address of Mr. Glass, of Virginia 



respect to the tenacious hold which Mr. Martin had estab- 
lished upon the abiding affection as well as the confidence 
and admiration of the people whom he served. 

With almost exactitude, the years of Senator Martin's 
life measured the distance between two epochs of history. 
In the first flush of youth he had a place in the ranks of 
that immortal battalion of the Virginia Military Institute 
those young cadets who, with Spartan heroism, endured 
their baptism of fire at New Market just when the Civil 
War was being brought near to its conclusion and the 
beleaguered Confederacy hastening to its fall. Then, after 
nearly threescore years of ceaseless activity, we see him, 
but yesterday it seems, standing in this forum as the wise, 
sagacious, trusted leader in the war cause of his country, 
against the aggressions of European autocracy; thus in 
early youth emerging from the strife of civil war and 
closing his earthly career in ripe old age at the ending of a 
world war. The circumstance is both interesting and 
suggestive. In an important sense it reminds one of the 
effect of stern environment in developing the character, 
shaping the career, and molding the destiny of this dis- 
tinguished Virginian. It recalls the larger demands and 
opportunities for service and achievement which sum- 
moned men of Martin's generation to the work of building 
anew and adjusting to fundamentally changed conditions 
the political, economic, and social fabric of a defeated and 
wasted land, of a sadly stricken and sorely menaced civili- 
zation. Senator Martin's first call as he nearcd the en- 
trance to active life was a call to patriotic service. The 
last call was the same; and both translated the terms of 
public stress and crisis. It is known with what consecra- 
tion he answered; how nobly his task was begun with his 
cadet comrades in Virginia; and how as well ended here 
in the Senate of the United States. These two chapters 
in Mr. Martin's life — the introduction and the conclusion. 



[57] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

together with those which lay between, covering more 
than a quarter of a century of service in this body — are 
now being recalled by the people of his native State with 
emotions in which exultation and sorrow blend. 

Senator Martin was born in Albemarle County, Va., 72 
years ago. It was there that he started out upon the build- 
ing of his fortunes without other aid or influence than that 
derived from his own courageous purpose to be of some 
account in the world. And, verily, he builded well, if to 
be coveted is the structure of a human life securely estab- 
lished upon foundations of wide, enduring usefulness. 
It is not difficult to suppose that, when entering the prov- 
ince of his manhood, Senator Martin caught the message 
that there was both room and need for him in public 
affairs; that he felt charged with a distinct mission to 
serve, and by service to aid in saving, repairing, and con- 
structing anew a land which had been wrecked by the 
desolating sweep of war. Men who were not of that gener- 
ation can not understand the difficulties and dangers 
which either provoked to mute despair or prompted to 
high and heroic endeavor. Those who did live through 
the perilous time know best how to appreciate the motives 
which animated men of the school so fitly typed by Mr. 
Martin and to measure the great service which they 
wrought. 

It was due to his participation in the work of enabling 
Virginia to stand upon her feet again and advance to the 
higher and happier state which lay ahead that Senator 
Martin begun to develop the attributes of astute leader- 
ship. In the first place, there was something about his 
personality that seemed naturally to draw men to him and 
to hold them fast. The increasing years of his public 
activity steadily added to the number of his friends and 
admirers, so that at the time of his death he held his post 
of party leader unchallenged from any source. Within 

[58] 



Address of Mr. Glass, of Virginia 



my knowledge no man in Virginia since the clays of John 
Warwick Daniel had an influence more complete and con- 
trolling than that of Senator Martin. Nor is the reason 
difficult to apprehend. The Virginia people know it well. 

Mr. Martin was trained in the school of politics under 
men rarely experienced in the arts of thorough, search- 
ing organization. He undertook party work when Vir- 
ginia was passing through the gravest, most dramatic 
period of her history. He brought to his task an intense 
ardor of spirit, a great love for his State, a calm grimness 
of purpose, an exceptionally clear, penetrating mind, and 
an unusual knowledge of men. The natural order of 
things was therefore witnessed. Mr. Martin advanced 
stage by stage to station of authority and power among 
the prevailing individual political forces of the State. 

Until the early nineties, however, Mr. Martin held aloof 
from the role of aspirant for political preferment. He 
was content to labor and to wait until the darkness of a 
long political night had gone forever and Virginia's safety 
was assured. With that happy consummation, he ap- 
peared as a candidate for the first office he had ever sought 
and the only office he ever held. He was elected to the 
United States Senate, and for 26 years, without intermis- 
sion, retained his seat in this body. 

I dwell thus upon Mr. Martin's genius for organization 
as expressed in his political career and upon the service 
which he rendered in the field of Virginia politics because 
these things served as the real background of his life; 
because they revealed the most forceful and compelling 
traits of his mind and character; because they the wore 
clearly disclose the vehicle through which he translated 
the exalted aspiration into the thing achieved. But it 
must not be thought that the dead Virginia Senator was 
enabled to score in his every political battle solely by 
virtue of his extraordinary success as a party tactician or 



[59] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

organizer. This was not the case. His talents would have 
counted in vain but for his sensitive recognition of the 
duties and obligations incident to public service. He was 
of modest mien and even speech, except when strongly 
provoked to talk in an emphatic fashion. This he could 
do unmistakably. 

Mr. Martin was not of the showy order; he was inclined 
to regard pityingly those who were. Nor was he skilled 
in the ways and wiles of the cheap politician. He was 
big and broad, compelling the respect of his adversaries 
and never impairing the confidence of his adherents. He 
never forgot a friend nor a friendly act. His conception 
of public duty comprehended the minor details as well as 
the larger and more important features of his trust, and 
from no Virginian could come a request requiring his 
attention that would suffer the slightest neglect or in- 
difference at his hands. So being faithful in service, loyal 
to supporters, true to trust, and strong of intellect, Mr. 
Martin continued to grow in the stature of usefulness from 
the time he entered the Senate until, with health worn 
and shattered by the last years of his arduous labors here, 
he left his seat, never to return. 

It is not needful that I should speak of Mr. Martin's 
service in this body. The record speaks for him, although 
it does not nearly disclose the full extent and scope of his 
fruitful activity. In committee room, especially as either 
chairman or ranking member of the great Appropriations 
Committee, in conference and in council, my lamented 
predecessor accomplished most of the large sum of use- 
fulness which characterized his labors as a Senator. This 
much is known: Senator Martin was an effective leader 
on the floor of this body. He marshaled his forces and 
directed their movements with ability and sagacity. Con- 
sidering the manifold perplexities with which his post was 
beset, the many difficulties that obtruded to add infinitely 

[60] 



Address of Mr. Glass, of Virginia 



to the burden of his responsibilities, the extraordinary 
crises in national and world affairs which were precipi- 
tated just prior to America's entry into the war, continu- 
ing throughout that disastrous conilict and into tin- period 
immediately following the signing of the armistice, Mr. 
Martin, who was in command on this side of the Chamber, 
measured up to the standards of level-headed, prudent, 
constructive leadership. Indeed, because of the appalling 
strain upon the resources of his mind and body, conse- 
quent upon the so terrific ordeal, the Virginia Senator's 
life was probably shortened by many years, making it so 
that he sacrificed and fell because ready to give his all for 
his country's sake. 

It is inspiring to think that when this grizzled chieftain 
was making last preparations to answer " adsum " to the 
roll call of the Master he had thus rounded out a career 
of enduring distinction; that from a reserved, unassuming 
entrance upon the deliberations of a great legislative 
tribunal he had, by sheer force of his own merit, risen 
slowly but surely to the eminence of majority leadership 
in full cooperation with the administration and relied on 
by the President as a source of support and guidance in 
the halls of legislation while the Republic was being 
rocked to its foundations by the convulsions of war. Vir- 
ginians rightly take satisfaction in the reflection that this 
was so; that at a time when men of great capacity and 
militant patriotism and fine courage were most needed 
in the legislative department of the Government their 
State gave to the upper branch of Congress the leader of 
the dominating party. 

Senator Martin interpreted an order of Americanism 
which was stalwart in genius, vibrant in patriotism, robust 
in fidelity, impatient of aught that smacked of timeserv- 
ing or cant. Greatness is a relative term; men are wont 



[61] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

to employ it with a carelessness and lack of discrimina- 
tion so crude that the tribute which it is really designed 
to convey often becomes obscure and bedimmed in mean- 
ing. But, guarding carefully my words, it seems to me 
that elements of greatness may readily be imputed to 
Senator Martin, if greatness can be measured in the scale 
of service or by the test of the sum of the things which he 
did, the ends which he achieved, the purposes which he 
wrought, during the time in which it pleased God that he 
should walk the ways of usefulness here on earth. 

In his private and domestic relations of life Mr. Martin 
exemplified those lofty ideals which appeal directly to 
what is best and highest in human standards. He was 
the fond, devoted husband, the tenderly solicitous and 
affectionate father, and the good neighbor, the public- 
spirited citizen. 

Mr. President, as a further mark of respect to the mem- 
ory of the late Senator Martin, I move that the Senate do 
now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 
o'clock and 15 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
Monday, April 12, 1920, at 12 o'clock meridian. 



Tuesday, February 15, 1921. 
A message from the House of Representatives, by W. H. 
Overhue, its assistant enrolling clerk, communicated to 
the Senate the resolutions of the House unanimously 
adopted as a tribute to the memory of Hon. Thomas 
Staples Martin, late a Senator from the State of Virginia. 



[02] 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOISK 



Wednesday, November 12, 1919. 
A message from the Senate, by Mr. Dudley, its enrolling 
clerk, announced that the Senate had passed the follow- 
ing resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of the Hon. Thomas Staples Martin, for more than 21 
years a Senator from the State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That a committee of 18 Senators be appointed by the 
President pro tempore to take order for superintending the funeral 
of Mr. Martin, to be held in Charlottesville, Va. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

And that in compliance with the foregoing resolution 
the President pro tempore had appointed Messrs. Swan- 
son, Lodge, Cummins, Knox, Hitchcock, Fletcher, Nelson, 
Overman, Bankhead, Robinson, Simmons, Smith of Ari- 
zona, Smith of Maryland, Underwood, Walsh of Montana, 
Warren, Smoot, and Williams as members of the com- 
mittee on the part of the Senate. 

Mr. Flood. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sorrow that 
I am compelled to offer the resolution which I send to the 
Clerk's desk in reference to the death of Senator Martin. 
He represented the State of Virginia in the upper body of 
Congress for nearly 25 years, a longer period than any 
other Senator ever represented the Old Dominion. Dur- 
ing that time he was for many years the leader of the 
Democratic Party, first when the party was in the mi- 
nority and afterwards when it was the majority party. He 

[63] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 



has left his impress upon the history of legislation of this 
country as few men have who have served in Congress. 

At a later date, Mr. Speaker, I shall ask the House to set 
aside a day to pay proper tribute of respect to the dis- 
tinguished Senator. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Virginia offers a 
resolution, which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

House resolution 387 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Thomas S. Martin, a Senator of the United 
States from the State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased 
Senator. 

Resolved, That a committee of 18 Members be appointed on the 
part of the House to join the committee appointed on the part of 
the Senate to attend the funeral. 

The resolution was agreed to; and the Speaker ap- 
pointed as the committee on the part of the House Messrs. 
Flood, Montague, Slemp, Saunders of Virginia, Moore of 
Virginia, Harrison, Bland of Virginia, Holland, Watson of 
Virginia, Woods of Virginia, Cannon, Cramton, Sisson, 
Kitchin, Whaley, Bowers, Wingo, and Byrns of Tennessee. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now 
adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 5 o'clock and 
42 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until Thursday, 
November 13, 1919, at 10 o'clock a. m. 



[64] 



Proceedings in the House 



Thursday, November 13, 1919. 
The House met at 10 o'clock a. m. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the- 
following prayer: 

Father in heaven, we thank Thee for the cordial and 
amicable relations existing between Great Britain and 
our Government, hence our people with the President 
and the dignitaries of State and Nation extend a warm 
greeting to our distinguished guest the Prince of Wales, 
who represents his illustrious father. 

Long may the friendly relations exist between the two 
great nations as an example to all the world. 

Once more in the dispensation of Thy providence, our 
Father, we are called upon to mourn the loss of a well 
beloved, wise, honest, conscientious statesman, who will 
be sorely missed by his colleagues in the Senate and a 
host of friends throughout his State and Nation. May 
the immortality of the soul comfort them, especially the 
bereaved children, through Him who died and rose from 
the dead and ascended into heaven. Amen. 

Monday, April 12, 1920. 
The committee informally rose; and Mr. Madden hav- 
ing taken the chair as Speaker pro tempore, a message 
from the Senate, by Mr. Crockett, one of its clerks, 
announced that the Senate had passed the following 
resolution : 

Senate resolution 347 

Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow in the 
death of the Hon. Thomas Staples Martin, late a Senator from 
the State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
ceased the Senate, pursuant to its order heretofore made, assembles 
to enable his associates to pay proper tribute to his high character 
and distinguished public services. 

46G66— 22 5 [65] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate 'a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit a copy 
thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

Monday, January 17, 1921. 

Mr. Flood. Mr. Speaker, I wish to make a motion, to 
which I think there will be no objection, in reference to 
memorial services. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the motion. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Flood, 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 13, 1921, at 12 o'clock noon, 
be set apart for addresses on the life, character, and public serv- 
ices of the Hon. Thomas S. Martin, late a Senator from the State 
of Virginia. 

The Speaker. Is there objection to the present consid- 
eration of the resolution? [After a pause.] The Chair 
hears none. 

Saturday, February 12, 1921. 
The Speaker appointed Mr. Flood to preside over the 
House on Sunday, February 13, 1921, at the memorial 
exercises for the late Senator Martin. 



Sunday, February 13, 1921. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon and was called to 
order by Mr. Flood as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain Emeritus, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., 
offered the following prayer : 

Once more, our Father in Heaven, Thou hast brought 
us face to face with the most profound mystery. The 
universe is a mystery, life is a mystery; but when the eye 

[66] 



Proceedings in the House 



that looked out with intelligence, the hand that clasped 
with warmth, the lips that spoke with sympathy and love 
are still, we are overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, and 
stand helpless before the prostrate form. But faith, hope, 
love, which are mysteries, whisper consolation. 

Some men live for selfish aggrandizement; others live 
for the good that they can do. The former have no inter- 
est in the public welfare, the latter live for the public weal. 
Such a man was Senator Martin, of Virginia. He loved 
his State and Nation and poured out his substance for 
them. The angels of Faith, Hope, Love point to immortal 
life where he lives, wills, loves. He may not come to us, 
but we shall go to him and behold his glory, look into his 
radiant eyes, feel the touch of his hand, hear his cheering 
voice again. Hence we thank Thee for his life, deeds, 
and public service. May it be ours to emulate his virtues 
and cherish his memory. Comfort his friends and loved 
ones with immortal hope; in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Vir- 
ginia [Mr. Montague] will please take the chair. 

Mr. Montague took the chair as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the 
special order for the day. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

On motion of Mr. Flood, by unanimous consent, 
Ordered, That Sunday, February 13, 1921, at 12 o'clock noon, 
be set apart for addresses on the life, character, and public serv- 
ice of Hon. Thomas S. Martin, late a Senator from the State of 
Virginia. 

Mr. James of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following 
resolution. 

[67] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia 
offers a resolution which the Clerk will report. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

House resolution 683 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. 
Thomas Staples Martin, late a Senator from the State of Virginia. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 



[68] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Flood, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: We are here to-day to pay a tribute of 
love and reverence to the memory of a truly great Ameri- 
can — the late Senator Thomas Staples Martin, of Virginia. 

The story of the life and the appreciation of the worth 
of this great man has found a deep and an abiding lodg- 
ment in the hearts and minds of the people of this country. 

As year by year he was subjected in the commanding 
position he occupied in the Senate of the United States to 
the closest public scrutiny, he grew in the confidence of his 
fellow citizens until at the time of his death, from Maine 
to Arizona, from Washington to Florida, he was regarded 
as one of the most conscientious, intelligent, and able 
Senators who had ever adorned the Halls of Congress with 
his presence, and the people all over the country were 
satisfied that their interests and the interests and honor of 
their Nation were safe as long as Thomas S. Martin was 
the leader of the majority party in the Senate. 

Senator Martin was born in Albemarle County, Va., July 
29, 1847, and lived in that county, so fruitful of great men, 
all of his life. 

At the age of 16 he entered the Virginia Military Insti- 
tute, and with the battalion of cadets from this glorious 
institution rendered valuable military service to his State 
in the Confederate War. 

Virginia took her position from the first upon what she 
conceived to be fundamental truths, and it was an instinct 
with her that to surrender these was to vitiate and falsify 
her organic life. Upon this lofty plane our forefathers 
built up the fabric of their beloved Commonwealth. Vir- 
ginia held these rights as sacred and not academic, and 
when they were threatened 80,000 of her sons rushed to 
their defense in a single week. It was in this spirit of 
patriotic duty and loyalty to a principle that this beardless 

[69] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

boy became a soldier of the Confederacy. In this ca- 
pacity, as always throughout his life, he discharged his 
duty like a man and a hero. 

When the war ended he entered the University of Vir- 
ginia, completed his course of studies, and began the prac- 
tice of law. To his profession he carried ambition, a high 
integrity of character, and an inherent love of truth and 
right. These qualities, combined with a rapid and ac- 
curate power of analysis, keen insight into human nature, 
and a clearness of judgment rarely equaled, soon brought 
him an extensive and lucrative practice. 

The obligations of this large practice, however, did not 
cause him to neglect public duties. His services were in 
great demand by his party and always available, espe- 
cially in the bitter contests waged in the eighties and early 
nineties for the supremacy of Anglo-Saxon civilization in 
Virginia. Much of his time was given to party organiza- 
tion. His devotion in these trying days was supreme. He 
was potent for good because no selfishness stained his 
efforts. 

He was as ready to serve his State in other capacities. 
The ante helium debt had disturbed the politics and 
halted the prosperity of Virginia for a quarter of a cen- 
tury. In 1890 a determined effort was made to settle it on 
terms which would be satisfactory to the bondholders and 
within the ability of the State to pay. For weeks and 
months it seemed impossible that an agreement could be 
reached. When hope had well-nigh fled, it was Thomas S. 
Martin, the legal adviser of the Virginia Debt Commis- 
sion, who brought about a reconciliation between the rep- 
resentatives of the State and the bondholders, and accom- 
plished the blessed result of a final and satisfactory set- 
tlement. For this great service he refused to receive one 
cent of compensation and declined even to accept his per- 
sonal expenses incurred on many trips to New York, 

[70] 



Address of Mr. Flood, of Virginia 



Washington, and Richmond. This accomplishing nl made 
a profound impression upon the people of the Slate. 

In 1893 he was elected to the Senate of the United States 
for the term beginning March -1, 1<S'>">, in one of the most 
memorable and hotly contested campaigns ever waged in 
the State. This was the first political office Senator Maui in 
held, and there was, on the part of many of those 1 who did 
not intimately know him, bitter opposition to his election, 
and some misgivings on their part as to his ability to ac- 
quit himself with credit in the high position for which he 
had been chosen. The high order of his abilities which 
were of the solid and substantial character, rather than 
the showy and ornamental, soon dissipated these fears. 

His vigorous and robust intellect, his quick and pene- 
trating perception, his discriminating judgment, rapidly 
pushed him to the front in the Senate. Entertaining a 
thorough disdain for noisy notoriety, he was content with 
arduous toil to move steadily along the path of duty in 
the faithful and splendid performance of the labors and 
responsibilities that appertained to his position. 

It is said by Bacon that " the greatest builders are the 
builders of State," but their most important works are 
performed in the closet and not before the public gaze. 
They are like the workers that in the unseen depths of the 
ocean lay the coral foundation of uprising islands and the 
enduring beams of mighty continents. 

And so the impress of the mind and intelligence of 
Thomas S. Martin has been left upon the important meas- 
ures that came to his consideration as a lawmaker, and 
has added to the advancement of his State and to the 
glory and honor of this Nation. 

Mr. Speaker, I knew Senator MARTIN when he was the 
leading lawyer in his section of Virginia. This was before 
his name had been mentioned for an official position. I 
thought then that he was the ablest and one of the besl 

[71] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

men I had ever known, and his life the most ideal I had 
ever come in touch with. I admired him from the first 
and soon learned to love him, and this love increased and 
broadened and deepened as the years went by. His life 
was a benediction to all of those who were fortunate 
enough to possess his friendship and enjoy his association. 

I knew him when he was engaged in as fierce political 
campaigns as were ever waged in this country. I was his 
manager in most of these campaigns. Some of the con- 
tests were characterized by an acrimony and a bitterness 
that were unusual. Through it all Senator Martin bore 
himself with the dignity of an Arthurian knight, which 
added to his strength and made the overthrow of his op- 
ponents the more complete. 

It was said that he was a partisan in his political ideas 
and methods. If by this was meant that he sincerely and 
earnestly believed in the principles of his party, and had 
sought by all honorable means to promote the public good 
by placing its men and measures in control of the Govern- 
ment; if by it was meant that he possessed an unstinted 
loyalty to friendship, then the accusation was true and the 
term became simply a just tribute to a true and honest 
man. 

It has been the partisan who in all the ages of the world 
and in every field of human progress has led the way; 
wherever conflicts of opinion have determined the 
thoughts of mankind there the well-equipped partisan has 
been the guiding power and the controlling force for good. 

In the spirit of accusation it was charged that he was 
the leader, if not the dictator, of the Virginia Democracy. 
He was its leader, but there was no suggestion in his 
relations with his friends and his supporters of the dic- 
tator or the boss. His was a leadership which united 
men to him not by the hope of reward, nor by a fear 
of disfavor, but by the purity of his life, the loyalty of 

[72] 



Address of Mr. Flood, of Virginia 



his heart, the magnetism of his personality, and the power 
of his intellect. 

I knew him when he became the undisputed leader of 
the Democracy of Virginia, and the people of that State 
with a unanimity never before equaled proclaimed him 
the ablest and most beloved representative Virginia had 
ever had in either House of Congress. 

I knew him as the great Senator and leader of the 
majority party in that august body and the trusted ad- 
visor of the President of the United States in the trying 
days of the great World War. His brain knew no rest 
during that awful anxious time. His strength could not 
stand the strain. He gave his life to his country just as 
did the brave boys in khaki and navy blue who fell on 
the blood-stained fields of France and Flanders. 

I knew him in the home circle. His devotion as son, 
brother, husband, and father was beautiful and sublime. 
During all these years I learned more and more, as 
the days went by, to know that the prosperity and happi- 
ness of Virginia and America constituted the great end 
and aim of his public career. No man in my knowledge 
has contributed more to the strength and glory of his 
State and the Nation than has Senator Martin. 

It has been well said that the " reward of one's fellow 
men is a reward that must be earned," and few there 
are who gained it in the degree and the measure that 
Senator Martin did. 

In walls of State he stood for many years 
Like fabled knight his visage all aglow, 
Receiving, giving, sternly blow for blow, 
Champion for right I But from Eternity's far shore 
Thy spirit will return to join the strife no more. 
Rest, citizen, statesman, rest, thy troubled life is o'er. 

When the long roll of Virginia's great and honored 
dead is called, high upon that scroll, by the side of her 
most beloved sons, will be the name of Thomas Staples 

Martin. 

[73] 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: We have met to memorialize Senator 
Thomas S. Martin, of Virginia, who it is no flattery to say 
was a model Senator. Most emphatically he was not a 
talker but a worker. It is doubtful if he, during his five 
terms in the Senate, ever spoke for as much as 30 minutes 
at one time. Yet he wielded a powerful influence. It 
may well be doubted whether any other of the Senators 
was more influential. He was constant in his attendance 
in committee and in the Senate — of which latter body he 
was the Democratic leader, a position which he filled 
with great skill and marked ability. His advice was uni- 
versally sought. On matters of policy his opinion was 
final. He religiously attended to the wants of his con- 
stituents, no matter how trivial, no matter how important. 
He kept in close touch with his people. That is the reason 
of the strong and unbreakable hold which he had on the 
people of the Old Dominion. He left to others the speak- 
ing part and reserved for himself the working part. His 
idea of the duties of a Senator was service — service to the 
people of Virginia — service to his country. He had his 
reward in five elections to the Senate, and he made a 
record of which the people are justly proud. The chances 
are that he would have been kept in the Senate for half a 
century had he lived so long. His career was a fine ex- 
ample to all who follow him. 



[74] 



Address of Mr. Holland, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: Senator Thomas S. Martin was my friend 
and the friend of my district, so I can not refrain from 
adding a short tribute to his memory. 

When he was first elected to the Senate more than 25 
years ago, he was unknown to the masses of the citizen- 
ship of his State. He had never held public office, and 
his friends and acquaintances were confined to a few of 
the leaders of his own party. They discovered his emi- 
nent fitness for high position and leadership. They gave 
him loyal and successful support. After his election he 
promptly responded to every request made of him. He 
watched for and embraced every opportunity to be of 
service to his people. He retained his old friends by 
continued loyalty to them, and he converted former ene- 
mies into supporters by his vigilant and intelligent atten- 
tion to their interests. He steadily grew in influence and 
popularity and developed abilities of such a distinctively 
high order that he sprung into much prominence and 
soon became a dominant figure in Virginia. Within a 
comparatively short time he had clearly demonstrated 
that he was worthy of the trust by every test that could 
be applied by friend or foe, and also that he had acquired 
such a hold upon the popular mind that no political 
opponent could defeat his reelection. His rise was steady 
and sure. He had gradually won the confidence and 
esteem of all classes of his fellow citizens, and by the 
faithful and intelligent discharge of his duties had grad- 
ually silenced opposition. Thereafter it became generally 
conceded that no political rival could wrest his high office 
from him so long as he desired to retain it. This was 
one of the great achievements of his very notable career. 

[75] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

He was a man of unusual soundness of judgment. He 
had the ability to see all sides of a problem, and with 
rare powers of analysis quickly ascertained its real 
value — its strength or weakness. 

He gave much advice which was surprisingly free from 
mistake, and, if a mistake did develop, he had the courage 
to admit it and made every effort for its correction. He 
was absolutely frank and sincere with friend and foe. 
He made no statement that was not sustained and no 
promise that was not fulfilled, so he became the wise 
counselor of his constituents and associates. They trusted 
him and relied upon his judgment, for they knew 
that he was anxious and zealous to render them genuine 
service. 

He was a man of strong convictions, was retiring and 
unassuming, shunned the limelight, and was never stimu- 
lated by temporary public praise. The course of the 
demagogue was repugnant to him and he scrupulously 
avoided it. He regarded his office as a high public trust 
and desired that his deeds and actions should at all times 
stand the acid test of the sunlight of truth. He possessed 
the rare courage of a true statesman, and regardless of 
public clamor he applied to every question that arose the 
touchstone of wisdom. 

He was a man of indomitable will and indefatigable 
industry. He diligently studied his duties and shirked no 
task to accomplish what in his good judgment was best 
for his people. His highest ambition was to render genu- 
ine and unselfish service. 

He was a Democrat of the old school and had an abiding 
faith in the principles of his party as they had been taught 
to him. He was a strict partisan, but free from all that 
was small or narrow in his partisanship. He was never 
radically progressive as a legislator or as a Democrat, but 
was always practical and conservative. 

[76] 



Address of Mr. Holland, of Virginia 

He was morally and intellectually straight. He dared at 
all times to speak the truth. He listened to the voice of B 
great conscience and had the moral courage to obey it. 

Senator Martin was a superior man and his fame and 
influence extended far beyond the borders of his own 
State. He became a national figure. He gave years of 
close study to all national problems. He mastered the 
details of governmental affairs. He familiarized himself 
with legislation. He applied this knowledge to the enact- 
ment of constructive remedial laws. He was gradually 
recognized as a master legislator and best fitted to become 
the leader of his party in the Senate. As such a leader, by 
reason of his genius for organizing his forces and his 
ability to apply his great knowledge to the solution of the 
most intricate problems, he was enabled to perform serv- 
ices of inestimable value to his country. He was not a 
great orator, and yet he could express his convictions in 
the most concise and forceful manner when the occasion 
demanded. His great mind, his unimpeachable charac- 
ter, his indomitable will enabled him to accomplish the 
ends he sought. His intense patriotism and devotion to 
his country, his great conscience, his sound judgment, and 
his accurate knowledge of legislation won for him the 
confidence of his associates and gave him such strength 
and influence as few men in public life have ever attained. 
And thus it was that he became a large and luminous 
figure in the small group of the Nation's foremost states- 
men. 

He has gone, but the fruits of his labors will continue 
to live. The State mourns the loss of her most distin- 
guished son. The Nation adds his name to her roll of 
great Virginians. 



[77] 



Address of Mr. Byrns, of Tennessee 

Mr. Speaker: I esteem it a privilege to have known 
Senator Thomas S. Martin, of Virginia. It was a very 
great privilege to have shared his friendship. I first met 
Senator Martin nearly twelve years ago, shortly after I 
became a Member of Congress. He held then, as he held 
at the time of his death, a place of leadership in the 
United States Senate, the greatest deliberative body in 
the world. Quiet in temperament, modest and even re- 
tiring in his demeanor and disposition, but uncompromis- 
ing and tenacious in his advocacy of what he believed to 
be right, endowed with a highly practical, rather than a 
theoretical mind, speaking only when he had something 
worth while to say, he was readily acknowledged by his 
colleagues and by the country to be one of the ablest Mem- 
bers of the Senate. Subsequently, when his party came 
into control in the Senate, his party colleagues recognized 
his great ability and his excellent qualities of leadership, 
and made him majority leader of the Senate. 

Two years after I was elected to Congress I was made 
a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. 
Senator Martin was at that time a member of the Senate 
Committee on Appropriations and later on its chairman. 
I served with him on many committees of conference be- 
tween the two Houses of Congress on important appro- 
priation bills, some of them involving war expenditures 
amounting to billions of dollars. I thus had opportunity 
to come into close and more or less intimate official rela- 
tions with the Senator. 

Sitting around the conference table with him in many 
and sometimes protracted conferences, endeavoring to 

[78] 



Address of Mr. Byrns, of TbnnbsseE 

reach a compromise oi" the* differences between the two 
Houses, on many and varied items of greater or lefts im- 
portance, I had an opportunity to observe the man as 
well as the Senator. My admiration for the Senator 
quickly grew into a warm personal attachment and re- 
gard for the man. He was always conscientious and sin- 
cere in dealing with public questions and his fellow man. 
He scorned sham and deceit. He pursued open and direct 
methods to accomplish his purposes. lie would not sloop 
to little things. In short, he was a dependable man, who 
quickly won not only your respect but your confidence. 
He was a man whose mental stature grew larger the closer 
you got to him. A man of strong convictions, he was firm 
and unyielding in his adherence to those things in which 
he believed. He never sacrificed principle for expediency. 
But while uncompromising on a question of principle, he 
was nevertheless conciliatory and ever ready to listen to 
those who differed with him. And it was this clement of 
fairness, this readiness to concede something to the other 
fellow, which added so materially to the weight of his in- 
fluence, both in committee and on the floor of the Senate. 

The Senator sleeps peacefully in the bosom of his native 
State of Virginia, which honored him, and which he also 
honored. In the presence of a large concourse of sorrow- 
ing friends, he was laid away in the little cemetery over- 
looking the great University of Virginia, which was 
founded and fostered by that other great Virginian, 
Thomas Jefferson, whose political philosophy and teach- 
ings the Senator faithfully followed. 

The State of Virginia, the mother of Presidents, has fur- 
nished to the Nation a long line of distinguished sons. 
Not a generation has passed since the settling of America 
that Virginians did not distinguish themselves. Among 
them were Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Pat- 
rick Henry, Mason, Marshall, Bandolph, Wirt, Lee, and 

[79] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 



many others who make up a distinguished galaxy of states- 
men, jurists, and soldiers unsurpassed, if not unequaled, 
by any other State in the Union. The State is now and 
has always been represented by a strong delegation in 
both the Senate and the House. It can truly be said, Mr. 
Speaker, that Senator Martin fully measured up to the 
traditions of this great State and materially added to its 
reputation as the mother of statesmen. It is not my pur- 
pose, Mr. Speaker, to speak particularly of what he ac- 
complished, or to speak at length of his life and character. 
I leave that for those who knew him longer and better and 
who were more closely associated with him. I only de- 
sired in a few brief words to pay a tribute of respect to his 
memory and to express, even though in a feeble way, my 
great admiration for him as a Senator of the United States 
and as a great American citizen. When he died the State 
lost an able and faithful public servant and the Nation a 
most useful and capable statesman. He served his State 
and his Nation ably and loyally and with a fidelity unsur- 
passed. He has left behind him a record of service of 
which his family and descendants and his State will 
always be proud. No higher eulogy, Mr. Speaker, can be 
paid any man. He has left us, and his immortal spirit 
dwells somewhere in the great beyond, but his good deeds, 
his acts of kindness, the example of his earnest devotion 
to duty and fidelity to principle, in short, all of those 
splendid qualities which endeared him to everyone, still 
live with us and will prove an inspiration for higher, bet- 
ter, and nobler ideals to all whose privilege it was to 
know him. 



[80] 



Address of Mr. Moore, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: Others who were in close contact with 
Senator Martin have already described him in those rela- 
tions where the tender ties of affection and intimate 
friendship are formed. I am looking back upon liis 
career as a public man during his occupancy of the only 
office he ever sought or filled. What were some of the 
qualities that enabled him as a Senator to reach a position 
of extraordinary influence and usefulness? He had a 
mind capable of widely surveying conditions, and yet 
indifferent to no detail; cautious in arriving at conclusions 
and resolute in maintaining them; confident in its opera- 
tions, but always recognizing that in a world made up of 
endless conflicting interests and opinions effort is frittered 
away without cooperation and at every step reasonable 
concession and compromise. He had a sound body that 
could stand the strain of unusual toil. Unflagging devo- 
tion to his duties and persistent industry afforded him a 
comprehensive knowledge and grasp of the business with 
which he dealt. He had great personal magnetism, the 
indefinable gift which draws and holds adherents and 
counts for so much in creating leadership. Thus, superior 
to most men in the essentials of success, he realized the 
ambition of his life, and he is now numbered among those 
who have rendered highly conspicuous and valuable serv- 
ice to the country. 

When he entered the Senate, it was no easy field in 
which to win distinction. It had become, with perhaps 
one exception, the most powerful legislative body in the 
world, and its power by no means declined during his 
membership. 

It may be interesting to note for a moment the processes 
that have made the Senate what it is. Many of the 

46666—22 6 [81] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

founders of the Government believed that it would prove 
less important than the House of Representatives. It was 
the thought of some of them that it would necessarily 
remain weaker because not springing so directly from the 
people. They were not reckoning, however, with the pos- 
sibility that, after a while, it might become as democratic 
in spirit as the House, and they perhaps gave too little 
weight to the following considerations : Its more immedi- 
ate relation to the Executive in respect to appointments 
and foreign affairs; the individual experience and ma- 
turity attaching to a longer term of service; and the prob- 
ability that it would always be really a deliberative body 
while the House might in some degree cease to be so. In 
the beginning it appeared that the forecast of Alexander 
Hamilton and those who shared his views might be veri- 
fied. For several years the Senate was relatively unim- 
portant. That was due to circumstances that in the course 
of time disappeared. A controlling circumstance was that 
it made the mistake of separating itself, in a sense, from 
the people by holding its sessions in secret. That was 
the practice until 1795, in spite of the protest of Virginia, 
which was presented and argued by Richard Henry Lee, 
but received the support of only Lee and his colleague, 
Grayson, and William Maclay, of Pennsylvania. Wise 
action taken behind closed doors and eloquent speeches 
which nobody heard were wasted on a suspicious and 
hostile public. Several of the very eminent men who had 
entered the Senate when it was organized soon withdrew 
from a situation which they found uncongenial. 

Another circumstance was the size of its membership. 
A legislative body may be too small as well as too large, 
and at the start the Senate was under the disadvantage 
of being too small — so small that until 1810 it made no 
use of standing committees charged with the duty of 
thoroughly investigating particular subjects. But this 

[82] 



Address of Mr. Moore, of Virginia 



difficulty was overcome as new States were admitted. 
By 1812 the membership had risen from 2(\ to 34 and 
by 1845 to 52. Meanwhile the membership of the House 
was being rapidly enlarged. The original number of 65 
had risen by 1831 to 212. An inclination to check the 
increase shown more than once between 1830 and 18G0 
was finally abandoned, and in 1871 the number was 
placed at 293, in 1901 at 391, and in 1911 at 435. In such 
a numerous body the conclusions reached are not apt to 
express the composite opinion of all the Members arrived 
at with a fair measure of deliberation or to be accepted 
as equal in authority to conclusions more deliberately 
reached. 

The relation of Virginia to the Senate illustrates the 
gradual evolution that has defined the status of the two 
Houses, and resulted in making the Senate relatively more 
important, while it has, of course, created no doubt what- 
ever that the House will always hold a great place in our 
system. The positions of most dignity and influence are 
those that are naturally sought by men anxious or will- 
ing to participate in the public service. It is significant 
that in the early days the Virginia statesmen did not 
eagerly seek the Senate or seek it in preference to the 
House. Patrick Henry and George Mason each declined 
a seat in the Senate. James Madison would have been 
appointed as the successor of Grayson when the latter 
died in 1790 if he had wished it, but he chose to stay in 
the House. John Marshall likewise served in the House 
without attempting to enter the other body. It is also 
significant that Virginia Senators of the early days mani- 
fested no very strong desire to continue in office. Since 
Mason and Hunter took their seats in 1817, a period of 
74 years, the State has been represented by only 13 Sen- 
ators, whereas in the preceding period of 58 years it was 
represented by 25. In the later period resignations have 

[83] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

been unknown, save in the case of Mason and Hunter, who 
retired when the State seceded, while in the former there 
were 14 resignations, only two of which were consequent 
upon mandatory instructions by the State legislature, to 
which obedience was refused. Tyler and Rives were the 
Senators who resigned because they would not obey in- 
structions. Andrew Jackson was the cause of their 
trouble. One had been instructed to vote for a resolution 
expunging a censure of Jackson, and the other had been 
instructed to vote for a resolution censuring him. 

Gradually the Senate, recovering from the discredit 
it had suffered from the practice of secrecy and from its 
other disadvantages, attracted the foremost men. In 1823 
Benton, Van Buren, and Hayne were Members; in 1827 
Webster came in; in 1831 Clay returned, having earlier 
left the Senate to serve in the House; and in 1832 Calhoun 
was added to the group. The wonderful character of its 
membership at that time contributed toward its eventual 
preeminence. 

In the Senate, Virginia has been represented with 
marked distinction. Omitting the Civil War period, 38 
men, including the present incumbents, have served. It 
is not inappropriate here in this Capitol, where the voices 
of so many of them were once heard, to call the names of 
the 36 who have passed away: Richard Henry Lee, Wil- 
liam Grayson, John Walker, James Monroe, John Taylor, 
Stevens T. Mason, Henry Tazewell, Wilson C. Nicholas, 
Abraham B. Venable, William B. Giles, Andrew Moore, 
Richard Brent, James Barbour, Armistead T. Mason, John 
W. Eppes, James Pleasants, Littleton W. Tazewell, John 
Randolph, John Tyler, William C. Rives, Benjamin W. 
Leigh, Richard E. Parker, William H. Roane, William S. 
Archer, Isaac S. Pennybacker, James M. Mason, Robert 
M. T. Hunter, John W. Johnston, John F. Lewis, Robert E. 
Withers, William Mahone, Harrison H. Riddleberger, 

[84] 



Address of Mr. Moore, of Virginia 



John W. Daniel, John S. Barbour, Eppa Hunton, and 
Thomas S. Martin. From the record of the lives of these 
Virginians might be compiled a history of their State, and 
indeed a history of the Government since its foundation. 
The list includes veterans of the Revolution, a President 
and Members of the Continental Congress, the author of 
the resolution that led to the Declaration of Independence-, 
members of the remarkable Virginia convention of 1788 
which ratified the Constitution, two Presidents of the 
United States, members of the Cabinet and ministers to 
foreign countries, governors of the Commonwealth, and 
soldiers and statesmen of the Confederacy. 

Senator Martin now belongs to this company of the 
laureled dead who honored Virginia by giving her high 
rank in the councils of the Nation. Serving longer than 
any of his predecessors, he grew in activity and influence 
with the Senate's growth. Before the curtain fell upon his 
career he had played an impressive part in a theater of 
almost unexampled importance, where opportunity offers 
a challenge to the most vigorous and resourceful men. 
Toward the end the labors imposed upon him by the 
numerous and complex problems of the war were nearly 
beyond his endurance. Those labors he could not have es- 
caped, because of the responsibilities of leadership with 
which he was entrusted, and he would not have escaped 
them had that been possible because of his deep concern 
for the success of the contest in which the country had 
embarked. Though failing in health he lived to see vic- 
tory achieved and some abatement of the storm that was 
sweeping over the world. As the shadows gathered about 
him he faced with characteristic composure and courage 
the event that he knew was swiftly approaching. And 
when he died there passed away the most powerful figure 
in Virginia politics and the most successful leader of his 
party in the Senate since the close of the Civil War. 

[85] 



Address of Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: I consider it a great privilege to pay my 
tribute of respect to the memory of that distinguished son 
of Virginia, Senator Thomas S. Martin. 

Senator Martin has passed away; he has gone from our 
midst and that great American forum of which he was a 
prominent and striking figure will listen no more to his 
kindly voice nor profit by his wise and conservative coun- 
sel. Though his great State will be deprived of those ad- 
vantages which over a quarter of a century's legislative 
experience so eminently equipped Senator Martin for 
service to his Commonwealth and to his country, though 
he has passed away and his friends, his country, and his 
State have met with an irreparable loss, yet he has be- 
queathed to them a rich and priceless legacy, the memory 
of earnest deeds through a long life of honor and useful- 
ness well accomplished. 

Senator Martin was born less than 14 years before that 
great conflict between the North and the South. His 
tender age did not deter him from entering the Confederate 
Army, and he was among the students of the Virginia 
Military Institute who participated in that war. There 
was no body of troops who ever served with more bravery 
and distinction than those students, mere boys though 
they were, but yet like seasoned veterans of many battles 
met the red storm of fire and shot and shell like " so many 
bridegrooms stepping to a marriage feast." 

Senator Martin and his Confederate comrades were 
only boys who stepping from the playground to the field 
of battle overnight became men, with a fixed and grim 
purpose to sacrifice everything for their country, and who 
by their spirit and daring have left the impress of their 

[86] 



Address of Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 

determination and courage in the memories of those who 
follow. 

The State which Senator Martin loved so well, and 
served with so much distinction and honor, has con- 
tributed more than her share of the great men who 
founded this Government and who since then have aided 
in the advancement and prosperity of that Government. 
Just before the Revolution, when men's hearts were so 
torn between loyalty and love of the mother country and 
resentment and indignation at the policy of that country 
that they knew not what to do, it was the clarion voice of 
one of Virginia's sons which changed their vacillation and 
weakness into " a firm resolve to be free or fill a martyr's 
grave." 

During the darkest days of that Revolution, when it 
seemed as though the cause of the Colonists was hopeless, 
when it looked like Paul Revere had ridden in vain, and 
that shot fired at Concord Bridge and heard around the 
world was all but useless; when everything was dark and 
gloomy like a night without a star, the American Colonists 
trusted faithfully, hopefully, and confidently in that great 
Virginian, the man of bravery, perseverance, and tact, the 
genius, the inspiration, the success of the Revolution — 
George Washington. 

All who bow their heads in reverent homage before the 
shrine of human liberty can look back and see that great 
figure, patient, tireless, resourceful. We can see him 
when the fortunes of the Colonists are at their lowest ebb, 
assuming command of the disorganized American forces, 
dedicating his life and his fortune to his country, and lay- 
ing everything that makes life attractive upon the altar of 
human freedom. We can see him at Long Island slowly 
falling back before tremendous odds. We can see him at 
Valley Forge during that awful winter sharing hardships 
with his ragged half-starved soldiers. We can see him on 

[87] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

that Christmas night, with the bells pealing the glad 
anthem of " Peace on earth, good will to men," cross the 
freezing Delaware and capture the Hessian mercenaries, 
bought by British gold to help enslave a brave people 
fighting for freedom. We can see him at Monmouth, a 
very god of battle and of war, turning a defeat into a 
victory, and then at Yorktown, in the beautiful language 
of another distinguished son of Virginia, Senator John W. 
Daniel, where, "after wreathing the Lilies of France 
around the Stars and Stripes of our own Spangled Ban- 
ner," he stood the foremost actor in the theater of the 
world. 

It was necessary that the causes and grievances of the 
Colonists should be preserved so that posterity could judge 
the right. In this need the country again turned to Vir- 
ginia, and from the magic pen of Thomas Jefferson that 
great declaration of human rights sprang. Whenever 
men have dreamed of liberty " it has been the star that lit 
their dreams." Whenever men have lifted swords and 
shouldered guns in freedom's cause, its words have been 
the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night 
to light them on their holy way. 

It was another son of Virginia who more than anyone 
else gave us that Constitution which preserves the auton- 
omy of the various States, and guarantees to everyone, 
high or low, rich or poor, equality before the law, freedom 
of thought and of speech, and the inalienable right to pur- 
sue happiness and to worship God according to the dic- 
tates of individual conscience, while another great son 
of Virginia so construed the provisions of that Constitution 
that it became a living, breathing thing of life. 

It was a son of the Old Dominion who with farseeing 
eye guaranteed the territorial sovereignty of our South 
and Central American Republics by declaring in thunder 



[88] 



Address of Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 

tones to czar and kaiser and king, " Thus far shalt thou go 
and no farther." 

The sweetest memories of our Southland cluster around 
the gigantic figure of that great Virginian, whose noble- 
ness of character, whose generosity of soul was equaled 
only by his perfection of southern manhood. That great 
American, the magic of whose name causes every southern 
cheek to glow, every southern eye to sparkle, every south- 
ern heart to thrill, the name of the Southland's greatest 
warrior — Robert Edward Lee. 

There are many others from that great Commonwealth 
who on the field of battle, in the Halls of Congress, in the 
busy marts of commerce, in every field of commercial and 
political activity have contributed materially toward the 
upbuilding of our common country. 

With the example of such men before him, and himself 
descended from Revolutionary stock, Senator Martin, with 
their inspiration in his heart, in that quiet, unassuming 
manner of his, contributed much toward the advancement 
and progress of his native State and the Nation. 

Senator Martin was not one who sought the spotlight, 
and there was little of the spectacular about him. He 
seemed to care little for the " hilarious applause of men," 
but by the dignity of his manner, the earnestness of his 
every undertaking, and the rectitude of his conduct, he 
ever strove by all his acts to gain their sound, sober 
approval. 

His fearless nature, his rugged honesty, his independent 
spirit, his plain matter-of-fact manner, his industrious 
habits, his innate modesty, his sterling worth, and his 
splendid judgment and keen insight into national affairs 
were recognized by all who knew him; and the possession 
of these qualities endeared him not alone to his friends, 
but gave him an enviable reputation in the Senate of the 
United States and made him the leader of his party. 

[89] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

A good listener, careful, painstaking, unmoved alike by 
public clamor or impulsive appeals, in his quiet unas- 
suming way he made up his mind and arrived at his con- 
clusion, which once reached, conscious of the wisdom and 
the rectitude of that conclusion, no consideration of inter- 
est, no fear of consequences could move. 

Death came to him while he was still in the service of his 
country; while the affairs of government were still within 
his grasp and while he was still surrounded with " honor, 
love, obedience, and troops of friends." 

What was once said on the floor of this House about 
another honored Member of the United States Senate, now 
gone to his final reward, may well be applied to Senator 
Martin — "To such a man, coming at such a time, death 
was a friend and not an enemy, bearing in his hand not 
the sickle of destruction, but the scepter of immortality," 
for " to him who meets it with an upright heart" death is — 

A quiet haven, where his shattered bark 
Harbors secure, till the rough storm is past. 
Perhaps a passage overhung with clouds 
But at its entrance; a few leagues beyond 
Opening to kinder skies and milder suns, 
And seas pacific as the soul that seeks them. 



!)0J 



Address of Mr. Bland, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: It was not my privilege to serve in Con- 
gress long with Senator Martin, but before I came here I 
had learned his worth as a Senator and his merit as a 
man. I found Senator Martin ever willing to help me, to 
advise me, and to cooperate with me. I missed him when 
he was gone. Though not widely known when he com- 
menced his work, all came to know him later. Virginia 
knew her son. She loved him living; she reveres him 
dead. He was ever loyal to her great traditions. She 
will be loyal to his memory. He did not forget her. She 
will not forget him. 

Not now, but later, will the full measure of Senator 
Martin's work be taken. Now the scene is too near, the 
events too momentous, the stage too broad, the services 
too great. Time will give the true perspective wherein 
the man and his work will assume their true proportions. 
When that time shall have come the towering propor- 
tions of Senator Martin's achievements will be his best 
memorial. 

Vain the effort to voice fully his people's love and loy- 
alty. His zeal, his untiring energy, his superior intelli- 
gence, and his extremely practical judgment finally dis- 
pelled prejudice, silenced opposition, and won for him 
the unanimous indorsement and support of the citizenship 
of his native State. Merit and hard work had forged a way 
to the front and secured a well-earned reward. With one 
voice and as one man his people called him to service 
which proved to be his last. 

It has been truly said that it is more blessed to give than 
to receive. Senator Martin gave. He gave of his means 



[91] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

for the public weal, for death found him poorer finan- 
cially than when he entered office. Virginia and the Na- 
tion were richer by the service so ably given. Senator 
Martin gave of his time to the humblest call. He gave 
service to friend and stranger, for no duty escaped him 
from whatsoever source the call might come. To no one 
was a deaf ear knowingly turned. Senator Martin gave 
superb effort. He gave splendid achievement. He gave 
himself, for the pressure of the mighty struggle convulsing 
a world imposed upon him duties too great for man to 
bear, and he fell, another victim of the Great World War. 

Men who knew Senator Martin trusted him with a faith 
which worth alone could win. Men who knew him not 
came finally to know him and to trust him. Confidently 
his people followed him without fear so long as he led. 

Tender tributes here may tell his colleagues' love and 
respect, but no language may express his adherents' devo- 
tion. No leader was ever held in higher esteem. His wish 
was always sufficient. He had a hold upon his people's 
affection which was wonderful. Senator Martin pos- 
sessed in rare degree capacity for organization, but or- 
ganization could never win as he won. He was tried and 
found true. There was no evasion, but to every call a 
quick and frank answer. If the thing desired could be 
done it was done and that quickly. If it could not be 
done he said so and the suspense was quickly ended. 

Service was the corner stone on which Senator Martin 
builded. Resolute of heart, quick of perception, substan- 
tial and not showy, he built well. His was not a house 
built upon the sands. In early manhood Virginia called, 
and in the service of the Confederacy he answered. In the 
dark days of reconstruction Virginia called, and he gave 
quietly and unpretentiously service that helped to place 
the old mother again on her feet. Virginia called him to 
a broader field and to larger duties. Again he answered. 

[92] 



Address of Mr. Bland, of Virginia 



Quietly, as of yore, and unassumingly, he wrought until he 
occupied a place of first importance in the illustrious body 
in which he served. Danger assailed and the Nation 
called for service in her hour of greatest need. Patiently 
he labored as never before. Stupendous sums were 
needed. Stupendous efforts were required. Senator Mar- 
tin spared not himself. Then when victory came he 
turned to work of reconstruction, but tired nature could 
endure no more. Reluctantly the great leader was com- 
pelled to yield. But the soldier had received his death 
wound. 

When Senator Martin passed away Virginia wept. She 
mourned her son. She will preserve his memory. He had 
wrought patiently. He had wrought faithfully. He had 
wrought well. He was laid to rest in the land he loved, 
and among the people who had honored him and whom he 
in turn had honored. Life's day ended with life's duties 
done. 



[93] 



Address of Mr. Woods, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: When in 1893 the news was flashed over 
the wires from Richmond that Thomas Staples Martin 
had defeated Gen. Fitzhugh Lee in the General Assembly 
for United States Senator, the average eitizen of Virginia 
was amazed. 

Gen. Lee bore a name revered throughout Virginia; 
from the great and good men who had fought her battles 
and shaped her policies to the humblest citizen of the 
Commonwealth. He had behind him a brilliant military 
record — had led the State's sons in many a battle. A few 
years before he and his name had been decided upon as 
the one power that could wrest the State's control from the 
Readjuster Party, whose leaders, its task accomplished, 
were still seeking to perpetuate its power. 

After an intense spectacular campaign throughout the 
State, aided by superb organization, in which Senator 
Martin bore an unostentatious but very potent part, Gen. 
Lee had defeated his brilliant opponent, John S. Wise, for 
governor, and had reestablished Democratic supremacy 
in Virginia with all its significant meaning at that period. 

Second only to Senator Daniel — if indeed to him — Gen. 
Lee was the idol of the people. The question was well- 
nigh universal — who was this man who had never even 
theretofore aspired to, much less held public office — this 
country lawyer whose very name was unknown to the 
average voter, but who even in Virginia could overcome 
such a force and such a name as that of Fitzhugh Lee? 
Res ipsa loquitur. Only a man of superb force of intellect 
and character could have wrought such unique achieve- 
ment: 

The life of a great man is never an accident. 

[94] 



Address of Mr. Woods, of Virginia 



And Senator Martin's life was no exception. A position 
of great honor and responsibility had come to him. He 
was prepared for it. He made good — that tells the story. 

While then unknown to the people generally, his sterling 
qualities of mind and character, his intense love for his 
State and his country, his entire frankness, his energy and 
capacity for indefatigable work, his rare quality of quick, 
and at the same time, unerring judgment, his utter con- 
tempt for dissimulation or sham or littleness of any sort, 
his executive ability and his genius for organization, has 
so profoundly impressed his coworkers in party affairs, 
which included in a large measure the members of the 
general assembly, that his election was accomplished be- 
cause his supporters knew him, his qualifications, and his 
solid worth. Many of them voted for him against strong 
pressure at home, purely from a high sense of duty, as 
they saw it, to their State, knowing at the time they were 
temporarily, at least, sacrificing their own political for- 
tunes. Time, with Senator Martin's career in the Senate, 
abundantly vindicated their judgment, and later brought 
to their action the well-nigh universal approval of their 
people. 

The sorrow at his loss felt to-day by the survivors 
among his faithful supporters in that first contest is some- 
what softened as they contemplate that the career of their 
friend — and to them he was ever a friend — was such as to 
call forth from the people of Virginia on four subsequent 
similar occasions renewed expressions of confidence in 
him and approval of their first judgment. Each time with 
increased emphasis and at last with unanimity in both 
parties. The time came when no other man held so warm 
a place in the affections of the people of his State. 

His qualities of industry, of intellect, and sterling char- 
acter brought him not only to a position of undisputed 



[95] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 



leadership in his State, but to one of — and I measure my 
words as I say it — preeminence in the national Senate. 

When the Democratic administration came into power 
in 1913, in response to the demands of an ephemeral senti- 
ment it was thought that his leadership could be dispensed 
with; but time demonstrated the country's deprivation by 
such a course, and without effort or even desire on his part 
his tested abilities of leadership were really comman- 
deered, and, next to the President, he became and con- 
tinued until his party lost its majority in the Senate the 
greatest single force in Washington. To a marked degree 
he always inspired the confidence of his coworkers. His 
judgment, always given with prompt directness, was 
usually accepted. 

Frequent and many were the expressions of opinion by 
Senators and Representatives on the night the peace treaty 
failed of ratification in the Senate, when political respon- 
sibility for the result was being tossed from side to side, 
that but for Senator Martin's illness some form of 
agreement for permanent world peace would have been 
reached. Who knows what a world — though somewhat 
unconscious of him — may have lost and may yet suffer 
because of his fatal illness. 

Time fails me, Mr. Speaker. I can not speak of his 
most exemplary private life, his fidelity to home, to 
friends, to every trust; his frankness above that of any 
man I have ever known in political life; of those sterling 
qualities that brought to him more friends, willing to 
make sacrifices in his behalf, than any other man in the 
State. 

His mind was quick to mark the pathway of duty, and, 
however rugged, whatever the sacrifice, he followed it 
with unhesitating courage. No private interests or per- 
sonal considerations were allowed to stand in the way. 
Whenever his aid was sought in the selection of a man 

[96] 



Address of Mr. Woods, of Virginia 



for public position, his first inquiry was, " Will he render 
honest and efficient service?" This question answered 
affirmatively, he was ready to go his length for his friends. 

By his own efforts and his excellent business ability he 
had accumulated a modest fortune when he entered the 
Senate. Notwithstanding his frugality and well-nigh 
abstemious habits, he left it a poorer man — a silent tribute 
alike to his scrupulous integrity and his assiduous and 
single devotion to public duty. 

While the material competence he has left his loved 
ones is doubtless less than it would have been had he 
remained in private life, he has left them the rich legacy 
of a spotless name and to all of us the priceless testa- 
ment of a worthy example; and as to-day we turn our sad 
eyes back over his life of rarest usefulness and see the 
soldier boy, the faithful lawyer, the patient, busy man 
at his post of duty guarding with eternal vigilance the 
people's trust, we read in it a great truth exemplified 
by his life — that, after all, serving is the highest form 
of living. 



46666—22 7 [97] 



Address of Mr. Drewry, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: My acquaintance with Senator Martin ex- 
tended over only the last 20 years of his life, and I must 
leave to others who had known him longer the task of 
going into details of his career. Returning from Missouri 
to Virginia, my native State, to continue the practice of 
my profession, I was soon brought into contact with the 
then junior Senator from Virginia. From my first intro- 
duction to him I admired his courageous stand in defense 
of what he thought was right and his evident determina- 
tion to serve his State and its people to the best of his 
ability. As I knew him better I added another attribute, 
that of loyalty to his friends. These were probably the 
leading characteristics of the man — courage, physical, 
mental, and moral; service, public and private; and loyalty 
without question to his country, his constituents, and his 
friends. These are not flashy qualities and they are not 
possessed by the demagogue — it takes time to bring them 
out, and so when the true worth of Thomas S. Martin was 
recognized the people of Virginia were glad to continue 
him at his post of honor in their behalf as long as he 
would continue to serve. 

A descendant of some of the best blood of the early 
Colonists in Virginia, it was but natural that at the age 
of 16 he was found in the service of the Confederacy in 
the ranks of that immortal battalion of Virginia Military 
Institute cadets, who did not know how to retreat and 
were too newly versed in the art of war to be afraid of a 
superior foe. To his dying day to mention a favor for 
one of his boy comrades of the Virginia Military Institute 
or for one of their descendants was enough to gain the 
attention and secure the active interest of Tom Martin. 

[98] 



Address of Mr. Drewry, of Virginia 



The conflict ended, he returned to his studies, but after 
two years of work at the University of Virginia, upon the 
death of his father, he was forced to leave school and take 
upon himself the responsibility of a large family. Al- 
though engaged in mercantile business he studied law at 
home and was admitted to the bar in 1869. His persever- 
ance, industry, and ability soon established him among 
the leaders of his profession, and he was recognized as an 
earnest, conscientious, and fearless practitioner. He con- 
tinued the practice of his profession until 1893. Up to 
that time he had taken interest in politics, but had always 
refused to stand for public office. His first election to 
office was when he entered the United States Senate. 
From this time his life was an open book, and he lived it 
cleanly before the public as he had lived privately. By 
sheer force of will and merit he had risen out of his strug- 
gles as a poor young boy to become a Senator from Vir- 
ginia in the Senate of the United States. In the Senate 
the qualities which had earned him the position with the 
people of Virginia were at once recognized by his associ- 
ates. He was possessed of a sound, clear, discriminating 
judgment, and his attitude on all public questions was 
open, candid, and decisive. Though he carefully weighed 
all matters of public interest, yet he was quick to arrive 
at conclusions and energetic in putting them into effect. 
His high moral and intellectual integrity commanded the 
respect and trust of Senators on both sides of the Cham- 
ber. He was intolerant of hypocrisy and deception in 
whatever guise they might appear. These were regarded 
by him as the refuge of the demagogue and coward. No 
man who knew Senator Martin, whether friend or foe, 
ever doubted his courage or questioned his openness or 
candor. He was known for his untiring devotion and 
fidelity to duty. When the time came to elect the floor 



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Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

leader of his party, in one of the most crucial periods of 
the country's history, the choice fell on Senator Martin, 
and fearlessly and ably he performed the task. He gave 
himself whole-heartedly to the work and became a figure 
of national prominence, looked upon by the country at 
large with confidence and trust. 

But his labors were too strenuous, and he had spent 
himself too freely in the service of the Nation. The motto 
of the old Romans, " Est gloria pro patria mori," applies 
as well to those who give their lives beyond their physical 
strength in the service of their country in civil life as to 
those who die on field of battle in the clash of arms. In 
the years to come history will recognize this service on 
the part of many who receive not the honors accorded 
military heroes and the tribute to which their services 
entitle them. 

The life of Senator Martin was particularly a life of 
service. A compelling desire to render the greatest pos- 
sible service to his people, his State, and his country 
impelled him to devote his entire time and talents to 
their interests, and he died poor in this world's goods, 
but rich in the affections and love of the people of Vir- 
ginia whom he so well served. 

As he served publicly so did he serve his friends. An 
appeal from a man to whom he gave his friendship met 
with a speedy, hearty response. Loyalty to his friends 
was, perhaps, his very strongest characteristic. His serv- 
ice was given to those lacking influence and power as 
quickly as to the persons of importance and prominence, 
even if not more quickly. He dearly loved to serve the 
man in humble circumstances, who was unable to hire 
or secure independent aid. Studious, faithful adherence 
to duty in the service of his people and his friends was 
his daily watchword. This was largely responsible for 
the deep affection in which he was universally held. 

[100] 



Address of Mr. Drewry, of Virginia 

I am proud to claim him as my friend and appreciative 
of the opportunity to submit this tribute of affection and 
esteem to his memory. His death was a great loss to the 
Nation and particularly to the State of Virginia, which he 
so devotedly loved, and when the roll is called of Vir- 
ginia's distinguished sons there will undoubtedly be heard 
reverberating from the hills of Albemarle the honored 
name of Thomas Staples Martin. 



[101] 



Address of Mr. Harrison, of Virginia 

Mr. Speaker: Those who have already addressed the 
House have, in glowing phrase, detailed the splendid pub- 
lic service of Thomas Staples Martin to his country and 
sketched a loving portrait of his life. I can add no color- 
ing to this portrait, but for many years Senator Martin 
was my true and tried friend. On many occasions I drew 
upon his friendship, and on every occasion received from 
him unstinted testimonial of his affection. I can not, 
therefore, be silent on an occasion of this character and 
not lay my humble tribute upon the bier of my beloved 
friend. 

I represent the district in which Senator Martin lived, 
and 1 speak for his daily associates and neighbors; people 
who loved him as one of their own household; people to 
whom his unofficial life was a beautiful inspiration. To 
such he was not so much the great Senator, swaying the 
destinies of the world, as the loving companion, the 
trusted counselor, and the everready comrade in their 
daily trials and triumphs. His fidelity to his friends was 
never marred by one selfish consideration as to how it 
might affect his own fortunes. He served them at any 
cost and regardless of every sacrifice. Those of us who 
enjoyed his personal friendship feel we have enjoyed one 
of those priceless things which make life in this world 
worth while, and in his death have sustained a personal 
loss and bereavement that no tongue, however eloquent, 
can adequately express. 

I have known Senator Martin for many years. As a 
member of the Virginia Senate I actually participated in 



[102] 



Address of Mr. Harrison, of Virginia 



that first political triumph which carried him into the 
United States Senate. As I look back now over years of 
public service, there is no incident in my life that I recall 
with greater satisfaction than the fact that in that contest 
I was one of his supporters. 

His services to his beloved State can never be sufficiently 
memorialized. As a mere boy he fought her battles for con- 
stitutional liberty. In the glory of his manhood he became 
the political leader of her people. When he took charge 
of her political fortunes Virginia was struggling under the 
disasters incident to war and reconstruction and her peo- 
ple were impoverished and disheartened, struggling with 
great problems which threatened to destroy their civiliza- 
tion. Many of her great leaders had sacrificed their lives 
in her defense on the blood-stained battle fields which em- 
braced almost the confines of her entire border. Virginia 
called upon him and he gave to her unstinted service. He 
led her out of the wilderness of her sorrows and difficul- 
ties, and when his eyes closed in death he had seen her 
pressing forward on the highway to the greatest prosper- 
ity her people had ever known. 

In the broader field of national service Senator Martin's 
fidelity to his country made ravages upon his health and 
brought him to his grave, but those services enabled his 
country to meet triumphantly every emergency in the time 
of its greatest peril. He was a political servant in whom 
there was no guile. 

I can not and shall not attempt to say more. His mor- 
tal remains find their resting place beneath the sod of his 
native State and are in the tender keeping of those who 
loved him most. There is no need to raise above his 
grave a monumental stone. He has erected " a monument 
more lasting than brass and more sublime than the regal 
elevation of pyramids, which neither the wasting shower, 



[1031 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

the unavailing north wind, or an innumerable succession 
of years, and the flight of seasons shall be able to de- 
molish." The monument he has erected is the imperish- 
able love of a great people, and as long as Virginia re- 
mains true to her traditions he will not be forgotten. 



[104] 



Address of Mr. Gillett, of Massachusetts 

Mr. Speaker: Senator Martin entered the Senate at the 
same time I entered the House, but it was many years 
before I had even a speaking acquaintance with him. 
After he became chairman of the Appropriations Commit- 
tee of the Senate, I frequently met him on conference com- 
mittees of the Senate and the House on appropriation 
bills, and gradually came to know him intimately, for I 
think there is no legislative proceeding where the real 
characteristics of an individual show themselves so clearly 
and truthfully as in meetings of conference committees. 
It is a small body, meeting in secret, with no Congres- 
sional Record to print remarks and thereby prevent the 
free expression of opinions, the questions discussed are 
important and intrinsically interesting, and men's minds 
meet in a close but generally friendly grapple which is 
stimulating and enjoyable. 

In this arena I came to know Senator Martin intimately, 
and my increasing acquaintance increased my admiration 
and friendship for him. He was intelligent and able, and 
always knew thoroughly the questions discussed, and 
although sometimes a little hasty, and even peppery, in 
his temper, yet he was so fair and just and wise and high- 
purposed that he was a delightful colleague to deal with 
whether you agreed or differed with his opinions. He 
viewed questions from a high plane, and looked at the 
general and not the special interests affected; was frank 
and honest and singularly free from the selfish and stub- 
born spirit which sometimes leads conferees to seek their 
own ends at the expense of the public welfare. It was not 
his characteristic to dicker or trade, but frankly to state 

46666— 22 -8 [105] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Martin 

his opinions and urge his views, and yet he recognized 
that compromises are often inevitable and he was fair 
toward his opponents and not greedy for himself. I be- 
came greatly attached to him, and mourn deeply the loss 
of a wise and patriotic legislator and a warm-hearted, 
high-spirited, affectionate friend. 

Mr. Flood. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
Members may extend their remarks in the Record on the 
life, character, and public service of the late Senator 
Martin. 

The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Montague). Without ob- 
jection, it will be so ordered. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker pro tempore. In accordance with the terms 
of the resolution heretofore adopted, the House will now 
stand adjourned. 

Accordingly (at 1 o'clock and 42 minutes p. m.), the 
House adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, February 14, 
1921, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

9 



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